Bushmead Primary & Nursery School

Inspection of Bushmead Primary School Bushmead Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU2 7EU

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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

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 24 and 25 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of this welcoming, inclusive school. Throughout the school, relationships are kind. In the early years, children learn to take turns and listen to each other. As pupils move through the school, they learn about and celebrate the diversity of their community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils share the ambitions of their teachers to achieve well. Right from the start, in the early years, children begin to understand the school values such as resilience and perseverance. These values are threaded through lessons and extra-curricular activities. As a result, pupils settle quickly to the tasks that are set for them. They cooperate well and keep trying, even when things are tricky.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Lessons run smoothly because pupils are familiar with school routines and expectations. Breaktimes are calm and friendly. There is plenty of space for conversations and to use the play equipment. Some pupils relax and read together or browse in the library. ‘Playground Pals’ help younger children to play games together successfully. Pupils are confident that teachers address and stop any incidences of unkind behaviour or bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Clubs such as choir and cricket enable the pupils who attend to develop their interests and talents.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils to achieve well. They have developed a curriculum that carefully considers what pupils need to know and understand. This starts in the early years. The curriculum has been planned so that pupils can revisit and build on previous learning. Teachers regularly check for any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Teachers adjust their lessons or provide extra support so that pupils can keep up with what they need to know. Teachers introduce new ideas step by step. They provide additional resources or prompts to make complicated ideas easier for pupils to grasp. Pupils are given many opportunities to practise skills and become fluent in what they know and can do. Most pupils achieve well and are ready for their next steps in learning. Occasionally, some teachers do not introduce new vocabulary or ideas precisely enough. When this happens, some pupils do not learn and apply these words or concepts well.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities take part in learning and extra-curricular activities alongside their peers. Leaders work with teachers and external professionals to identify when pupils need help. Skilful adults put this in place. Leaders provide a wide range of interventions that they choose to run before school and during the day. These give pupils the extra help they need. Systems to check and adjust this support are well established. 24 and 25 May 2023 The teaching of phonics and early reading is set out clearly and in a logical way. Staff receive the training they need to put these programmes in place. From Reception, children apply their developing reading skills by reading texts that give them plenty of practice at just the right level. Most pupils start to read confidently and quickly.

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better?

As pupils move through the school, learning focuses on the development of reading fluency and comprehension. Pupils practise these skills regularly. Pupils enjoy the regular quizzes about their reading and the wide selection of books available to them. Leaders have thoughtfully arranged a core of high-quality, inclusive texts at the heart of the curriculum. Older pupils appreciate the diverse vocabulary and ideas that they encounter through exploring these books with their teachers.

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better?

Leaders and staff communicate their clear expectations and routines for good behaviour from the beginning of the early years. Young children know to share equipment and be considerate of others. Across the school, pupils show positive attitudes to learning. They settle quickly to tasks and discuss new ideas sensibly. Around the school, behaviour is calm. Pupils show good manners to adults and each other. While most pupils attend school regularly and punctually, a small group of pupils are absent from school too often. These pupils miss important learning and the opportunities to develop their personal and social skills.

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better?

Leaders ensure that pupils are taught about healthy lifestyles and relationships. Pupils learn to be tolerant, respectful members of the school community. Through debates, pupils learn to respect and appropriately challenge different views. Pupils eagerly take on responsibilities around the school, such as being reading buddies and members of the school council.

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better?

Staff appreciate the guidance and support of leaders. They work well as a team to develop their practice and enjoy ongoing professional development. Governors visit regularly and know the school’s work well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. They ensure that all staff are trained to identify and record any concerns effectively. Leaders are tenacious in seeking out and securing any necessary support that is needed for vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out and record the appropriate checks on adults in school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught to recognise and resist any safeguarding risks they may encounter beyond the school. They learn to share any worries with a trusted adult. 24 and 25 May 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the teaching team is not consistently clear when introducing new subject vocabulary or concepts. When this happens, some opportunities to check, embed and extend pupils’ learning are missed. Leaders need to provide training and support so that all staff know how to teach new learning precisely and securely.  A few pupils miss too much time in school. As a result, they do not learn as well as they should. Additionally, they do not benefit from the wealth of wider opportunities provided by the school. Leaders must continue to work with these pupils and their families to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time.

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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. 24 and 25 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school.  Leaders do not use any providers of off-site alternative education.

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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.  The inspectors met with school leaders, governors, subject leaders and the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, music and computing. For each deep dive, the inspectors spoke with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, 24 and 25 May 2023 spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and other staff to discuss safeguarding in the school.  The inspectors considered the 109 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 62 free-text comments. The inspectors also considered the

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Information about this inspection

76 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 228 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a pupil at this school. Inspectors also observed the behaviour of pupils at breaktimes and around the school.

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Inspection team

Lynne Williams, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jess Pearce Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 May 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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