Bow Community Primary School

Inspection of Bow Community Primary School Station Road, Bow, Crediton, Devon EX17 6HU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have guided the school through a period of staffing changes. Leaders have high expectations for pupils. They have made changes to the curriculum that have been essential for pupils to be successful. Leaders’ actions are beginning to make a difference. However, the curriculum design, starting in the early years, does not yet support pupils to build their knowledge as well as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and respectful. They enjoy attending school. Leaders include all pupils in all aspects of school life, including extra-curricular opportunities. Staff know pupils well. They provide a nurturing and safe space for all pupils to learn, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They follow leaders’ expectations in lessons and around the school. Pupils value the weekly ‘learning flames’ awarded in assembly. Leaders do not tolerate bullying. They resolve concerns quickly should they occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers praise the school highly. They appreciate the changes made by leaders. Parents commend the inclusive nature of the school and recent improved communication.

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better?

Leaders have started to develop an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. They provide training that strengthens staff subject knowledge. In some subjects, such as art and physical education (PE), leaders have set out the knowledge and important concepts they expect pupils to learn and revisit. For example, in art, the development of vocabulary and skills is well considered. Teachers check for understanding to ensure that pupils know more and can do more.

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better?

However, leaders have not identified with enough precision the knowledge pupils need to learn in some subjects. As a result, pupils are not challenged sufficiently in their learning. They do not learn as well as they could. Subject leaders do not check the implementation of the intended curriculum in enough depth. As a result, they are not aware of how well pupils learn. Leaders do not know the gaps in pupils’ knowledge or where progress has stalled. Similarly, not all learning in the early years is designed well enough to maintain children’s interests. Staff interactions with children do not enhance learning or help children to learn new vocabulary.

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better?

Leaders prioritise teaching pupils to read. This starts in Reception. Leaders provide training that helps staff to understand the school’s approach to phonics. As a result, staff model sounds with accuracy. This helps most pupils to progress well through the phonics programme. Staff identify pupils who fall behind and support them to catch up. However, reading books do not always match the sounds pupils are learning. As a result, some pupils do not develop fluency in reading as well as they could. 21 and 22 March 2023

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND have the same opportunities as their peers. However, some learning targets that are set for pupils lack precision. As a result, some pupils do not receive the support they need. This makes it difficult for them to build their knowledge well across the curriculum.

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Pupils, staff and governors are proud of the school values of ‘resilience, independence, ambition, achievement’. The school is calm and pupils know the routines well. Pupils are friendly and well mannered. Most pupils behave well and display positive attitudes to learning.

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Leaders have created an effective curriculum to support pupils’ personal development. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of how to be responsible, respectful and active citizens. Pupils enjoy the trips and clubs on offer as well as attending sporting events. They develop strong teamwork skills and enjoy playing competitive sports against other schools. Pupils talk confidently about their respect for others and those who may be different to them. Pupils said that ‘we all have diversity in common’. Pupils learn about democracy through voting for the new house captains. They know how these roles make a difference to school life. This prepares them well for modern Britain.

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Staff value the support of leaders. Governors understand what is working well and what needs to improve. They ask the right questions to hold leaders to account.

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Parents and carers are supportive of the school. All parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey said they would recommend the school to another parent. One parent said: ‘All staff are friendly and approachable and the school has a lovely atmosphere.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe and know how to share any concerns. Staff teach pupils about how to keep themselves safe. This includes staying safe online.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff know pupils and families well. All staff and governors receive regular training. This helps them to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff understand the systems to report concerns. Leaders are dedicated to ensuring that pupils and families get the support they need. The necessary recruitment checks are made for adults who work in the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn in some subjects. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge well enough. Leaders 21 and 22 March 2023

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need to ensure that the most important knowledge pupils need to know and remember, starting in the early years, is set out clearly in all subjects.  Subject leaders do not check the implementation of the curriculum with enough precision. They do not always identify areas for development that will make the most impact on improving the quality of education. As a result, they are not aware of how well pupils learn the curriculum and what gaps they have in their knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that subject leaders fulfil their roles effectively.  Some learning targets for pupils with SEND lack precision. Pupils do not receive the support they need. They do not build knowledge securely over time. Leaders must ensure that pupils’ have suitable learning targets and check that all pupils receive the support they need to learn.

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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 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256676 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes to staffing, including a new headteacher. The headteacher joined the school in April 2022.  Leaders do not use alternative provision.  This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

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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 these subjects: early reading, mathematics and PE. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils 21 and 22 March 2023

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about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders and pupils about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, parents, pupils and a representative from the local authority.  An inspector listened to pupils read to a trusted adult.  To evaluate safeguarding, inspectors spoke to the designated safeguarding leader, staff, governors and pupils, and evaluated record-keeping and staff training.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, and comments made by parents online during the inspection. They also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Esther Best, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paula Marsh Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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