Boothville Primary School

Inspection of Boothville Primary School Booth Lane North, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN3 6JG

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 February 2023

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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 21 and 22 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a happy place. Pupils enjoy learning. They have positive relationships with teachers and other adults. Parents and carers are happy to bring their children here. They speak positively about the teachers and the opportunities the school offers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils move around school sensibly. They treat each other with respect. Leaders and teachers support pupils who struggle to regulate their own behaviour well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they feel safe at school. They say that bullying is rare and if it happens, teachers deal with it well. They know who they can talk to when they have worries. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Leaders have planned a ‘Rain and Shine’ programme to prioritise pupils’ mental and emotional well-being. Pupils say that this helps them to feel calm when they are stressed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers know pupils well. They make sure that all pupils have opportunities to do their best. Teachers and other adults support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn alongside the other pupils. Children in the early years get off to a strong start.

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better?

Leaders have recently rewritten the curriculum. Subject leaders have thought very carefully about the knowledge they want pupils to learn. In all subjects, they have identified the key facts and vocabulary that they want pupils to know and remember. Leaders make sure that teachers know what they need to teach and when so that pupils can build their knowledge from the early years to the end of key stage 2. Leaders’ plans are ambitious. They want to make sure all pupils are ready for the next steps in their education.

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better?

Teachers understand the needs of the pupils with SEND in their classes. They include them in all lesson activities. Teachers and other adults make sure that support is available when needed.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. Subject leaders support them to deliver interesting lessons that engage pupils. In most lessons, teachers provide activities so that pupils can recall and practise what they have learned. Pupils respond well to this and try hard. Pupils’ work is usually of high quality. However, in a small number of lessons, the activities are not well matched to pupils’ needs.

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better?

The curriculum plans are new. Sometimes teachers are not sure what pupils have learned before. Teachers are still developing the expertise that they need to check pupils’ learning. They do not always identify gaps in pupils’ understanding or address them. When this is the case, pupils do not learn and remember new knowledge as well as they should. 21 and 22 February 2023

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Leaders have placed an emphasis on reading. Children in the early years begin to learn to read as soon as they join the school. Teachers and other adults teach phonics well. Pupils read books that support them to practise the sounds they learn. Leaders plan extra support for pupils who struggle with reading. Across the school, pupils read challenging texts. Teachers help them to learn new vocabulary. Pupils say they enjoy the opportunities they get to read every day.

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In most lessons, pupils show positive attitudes to learning. Teachers use rewards to encourage pupils to do their best and work together. In most classrooms, teachers have clear routines and deal with disruption positively and fairly. Pupils respond well. However, not all teachers have consistently high-enough expectations for behaviour. Sometimes they do not challenge pupils that call out or talk out of turn.

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Leaders in the early years have created an environment in which children can flourish. Teachers encourage children to gain knowledge and become independent. Most children show good attitudes to learning. They enjoy positive relationships with staff.

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Leaders have prioritised the wider development of pupils. They have planned a curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) to make sure pupils are ready for the future. Pupils know about British values and respect diversity.

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Pupils enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. There are clubs before and after school including coding, gardening, creative writing and a wide range of sports.

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Governors share leaders’ high expectations for what pupils can achieve. Leaders and teachers have been well supported by governors to develop the curriculum and create a positive learning environment. Governors have rightly made curriculum development a priority. They do not yet have plans to check the impact of this work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Staff are well trained. They understand how to report any concerns they have about pupils’ well-being.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know pupils and their families well. They respond quickly to any concerns they have. They keep detailed records. When they have serious concerns, they communicate effectively with other agencies to make sure pupils are safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. They know how to recognise and avoid situations when they might be at risk. 21 and 22 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum plans in many subjects are still very new. There are inconsistencies in the way some subjects are delivered. As a result, some pupils do not learn and remember the key knowledge as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that they support staff to deliver the planned curriculum and check how well it is learned by pupils.  Leaders have high expectations of behaviour in the school. There is a clear behaviour policy to support teachers to manage classroom behaviour. Not all teachers have the same high expectations and they do not all apply the policy consistently. In some classrooms, pupils do not reliably display positive attitudes to learning. Leaders need to ensure that expectations are high in every classroom and that the school policy is consistently implemented.  Governors share leaders’ high expectations for the curriculum as well as pupils’ behaviour and their wider development. They have supported leaders to develop

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

these areas but do not know well enough the impact of these developments. Governors need to ensure that they challenge leaders, holding them to account for the impact of their work.

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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. 21 and 22 February 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses one registered alternative -provision.

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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 and other senior leaders. They also met with curriculum leaders, teachers and other staff members.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke with the local authority school improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, computing, history and music. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to 21 and 22 February 2023

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teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans for the early years and PSHE.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online parent and staff surveys.  Inspectors spoke to pupils and parents to hear their experiences of the school.  The lead inspector evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding by reviewing the school’s record of pre-employment checks and holding discussions with leaders, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

John Spragg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Martyn Skinner Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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