Bedgrove Junior School

Inspection of Bedgrove Junior School Ingram Avenue, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 9DN

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 13 and 14 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this vibrant, happy community where ‘anyone can be a friend’. They are kind and considerate and go the extra mile to support each other to also achieve success. They are proud of the school values of ‘inspire, challenge and succeed’. They meet these high expectations, with their positive attitudes to learning. Pupils relish opportunities to work together, whether debating issues in lessons or competing in house events. They enthusiastically participate in events like ‘Bedgrove’s Got Talent’ and excitedly plan their acts. Pupils value the way that everyone is included.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well around school and play together with kindness and consideration during social times. Older pupils trained as peer mentors provide support for pupils who need a listening ear. There are warm, respectful relationships between staff and pupils. This means pupils are confident that any worries they have will be addressed by staff thoughtfully and effectively. This includes any concerns about bullying, which is rare. All this helps to create a caring community where pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers value the school’s nurturing ethos. A parent, echoing the sentiments of many, said ‘there is a personal touch which means my child is flourishing not just academically but as a well-rounded individual’.

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better?

Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils to achieve well. They have created a logically sequenced curriculum which is broad and ambitious. Leaders’ curriculum thinking has identified the important knowledge and skills pupils need to learn across subjects. For example, in mathematics, astute curriculum adaptations mean all pupils learn well. Leaders have developed strong subject knowledge across the curriculum which means they teach purposeful, engaging lessons. They use modelling and questioning to help to secure pupils’ understanding of new knowledge. Staff make appropriate adaptations which effectively enable pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn well.

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better?

Assessment is effective and leaders have strengthened it further this year. In most lessons, teachers quickly identify pupils with knowledge gaps and ensure these are clarified. End-of-topic reviews establish pupils’ progress towards specific curricular goals. In the majority of subjects, opportunities for regular recall supports pupils to remember knowledge taught previously. However, in some foundation subjects, pupils do not retain the knowledge that leaders intend. In these subjects, pupils have knowledge gaps and do not build secure understanding over time.

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better?

Leaders’ passion for all pupils to develop a love of reading is reflected in the strong reading curriculum. Pupils regularly read and hear a broad range of texts about different periods, events and cultures. In guided reading lessons, pupils have meaningful discussions about texts where they challenge each other’s views about 13 and 14 June 2023

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the narrative and character. The phonics curriculum closely matches teaching to pupils’ progress, which means pupils at the early stages of reading develop into confident, fluent readers.

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Behaviour is exemplary across the school. Pupils learn how to regulate their behaviour and do so effectively. They have excellent attitudes to learning, seeking to make positive contributions whenever possible. When pupils make mistakes, teachers support them so that they learn from these. Staff tenaciously address absence, and pupils attend regularly.

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Leaders have created exceptional character development opportunities for all pupils. Rich experiences develop pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding. Pupils try new opportunities offered by the broad range of clubs. They learn to share beliefs and debate views through events like whole-school public speaking. The pupil parliament membership is hotly contested, building a strong understanding of democracy. These subtly develop pupils’ values and attitudes so that they embrace diversity and confidently talk about differences. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders’ clear vision and tenacity drive continuous improvement across the school. They have successfully created a purposeful and cohesive community. Staff enjoy working in the school and value leaders’ support. Governors and trustees fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. They ensure that leaders are supported and challenged appropriately.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise safeguarding and have ensured that all staff are well trained and know how to recognise signs of potential harm. They understand the risks which are specific to the local community. Staff know the procedures for reporting concerns.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take swift action, making referrals to external agencies and challenging when responses are not appropriate. Progress with current safeguarding cases is carefully tracked by leaders.

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Safeguarding

Governors and trustees ensure safer recruiting practice is followed and have strong oversight of the safeguarding provision. Pupils learn to identify risks so they know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. 13 and 14 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects, pupils do not retain the knowledge leaders intend them to learn. This means they do not build secure understanding of the important knowledge in these subjects over time. Leaders need to ensure that, in these subjects, teachers know how to review understanding of the knowledge they intend pupils to learn and revisit this knowledge so all pupils secure deep understanding over 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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268140 Type of school Junior

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School details

Date of previous inspection not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Bedgrove Junior School converted to become an academy school in April 2019. When its predecessor school, Bedgrove Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The headteacher started their role in September 2022.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school provides wraparound care through the before-school spice club.

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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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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 Inspectors met the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other school leaders and staff. They also met representatives of the local governing board, the board of trustees, and the trust’s acting chief executive officer.  The inspection team carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, design technology and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, spoke to teachers, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their work and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also spoke to pupils and looked at pupils’ work in other foundation subjects. The lead inspector also listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also spoke to pupils formally and informally around the school and at playtime.  Inspectors examined documents including the school improvement plan, headteacher’s report, trust strategy, minutes of local governing board.

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 The views of staff and parents were gathered through discussions and Ofsted’s online surveys. One of the inspection team also spoke to parents at the school when they were drooping their children off at school.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors checked the single central record of recruitment checks, talked to leaders responsible for safeguarding and looked at the school’s safeguarding records and documents. Inspectors also talked to a range of staff and pupils about safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Phillip Blagg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gavin Evans Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 June 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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