Bush Hill Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bush Hill Park Primary School Bush Hill Park Primary School, Main Avenue, Bush Hill Park, Enfield EN1 1DS

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Outcome

Bush Hill Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic to learn here. Leaders foster a safe environment, where pupils feel happy. Teachers encourage pupils to respect others, act responsibly and to overcome challenges.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for the academic work and behaviour of all pupils. Low- level disruption is rare and teachers deal with it quickly when it happens. Pupils are safe. They said that everyone gets along, they are kind to each other and that they make friends easily.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders organise sports clubs, including football, gymnastics and basketball. The school choir is popular, too. Children in the early years attend educational visits to the local area, such as the park. All pupils learn about different world faiths and visit different places of worship, including churches and mosques.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders arrange leadership opportunities for pupils. For example, older pupils read to younger pupils and Year 6 rangers help younger pupils play sensibly during breaktimes. Pupils are taught to help in the local community. Some pupils go litter picking and others plant flowers in the local community. Leaders prioritise pupils’ well-being. Pupils use the ‘ask-it basket’ as one of many ways to tell teachers how they feel.

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

Leaders have designed a broad curriculum, equivalent to the national curriculum in breadth and ambition.

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

In many subjects, leaders have clarified the knowledge and skills that pupils need to know. In subjects such as in reading, leaders’ thinking is strong. Teachers introduce pupils to increasingly complex knowledge as they progress through the school. For example, in computer science, children learn who to speak to if they have a problem online when in Reception. In Year 2, they learn what to do, for example, if a stranger tries to speak to 11 and 12 July 2023

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them online. By Year 6, pupils discuss the legal consequences of sharing others’ work online.

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In a few subjects, including some aspects of the early years, leaders’ curriculum thinking is not as complete. In these subjects, sometimes the school has not broken down precisely the key knowledge that pupils should know and remember over time.

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Teachers and subject leaders have sufficient subject knowledge. Generally, teachers present new information to pupils clearly. For example, in mathematics, pupils are introduced to new knowledge step by step and teachers check carefully that pupils understand their learning. In Reception, children showed that they had learned simple sums securely, including three plus two equals five and one plus four also equals five.

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However, across the school, teaching does not check as routinely that pupils understand what has been taught or check frequently that pupils remember what they have learned.

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Leaders have crafted their reading curriculum over many years. Leaders and staff know what pupils need to learn and when in order to be able to read. Leaders provide teachers with the training that they need to deliver reading effectively. In Reception, teachers support children to learn and practise new words. Teachers give pupils books every week to help them practise and revise the words that they are learning. Any pupils who require support to improve their fluency receive it through regular catch-up sessions throughout the week. Leaders also encourage pupils to develop a love of reading throughout their time at school. For example, a group of pupils in Year 6 spoke enthusiastically about the fiction, non-fiction and graphic novel books that they were reading for pleasure.

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Leaders identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work closely with the parents and carers, pupils and external agencies to ensure that pupils with SEND get the support that they need. Leaders support teachers to adapt their teaching, so that pupils with SEND have the help that they need to learn.

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Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They teach pupils to follow ‘relentless routines’, so that pupils move quickly and efficiently between activities in class and around the school. Typically, pupils are attentive throughout their classes. They interact with courtesy and take turns to speak.

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Outings and visits enhance pupils’ learning. For instance, pupils visited the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. Through the school’s personal development classes and during assemblies, leaders make sure that pupils are taught to recognise healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe. The school council makes recommendations that leaders act on. For example, pupils now have access to a greater range of sports activities led by specialist coaches at breaktimes, after the school council suggested this.

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Staff said that they are very grateful for the work that leaders do to reduce teachers’ workload and prioritise their well-being. They said that they feel well supported by leaders, who listen and who are approachable. Those responsible for governance check 11 and 12 July 2023

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that leaders carry out their work effectively. They work proactively, come into the school regularly and gather and respond to the views of parents and staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff all contribute to keeping pupils safe. Staff know the signs that suggest a pupil may be at risk from harm. If they see these signs, they report them to leaders swiftly. Leaders act on any concerns that may arise. Leaders organise a range of support for pupils in school, to support pupils’ mental well-being in particular. In addition, leaders work closely with a range of external partners, including the local authority, to ensure that pupils who need help receive targeted and timely support.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school has not isolated and sequenced all the key knowledge that pupils need to learn over time. In these subjects, sometimes pupils cannot connect new knowledge to their prior learning and they do not develop the deep understanding of important concepts in these subjects that they could. The school should ensure that the key knowledge that they want pupils to know is clearly identified and sequenced across all subjects and phases.  Teaching does not check that pupils understand and remember what they have been taught as routinely as it should. This means that pupils sometimes struggle to understand new and more complex knowledge that builds on prior learning. Leaders should ensure that teaching systematically checks that all pupils understand and remember what they have been taught and adapt future teaching as necessary.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2017. 11 and 12 July 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents 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. 11 and 12 July 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 and 14 December 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses one alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, computer science and mathematics.  For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector considered the school’s policies and procedures for safeguarding and supporting pupils’ health and safety, as well as their welfare and well-being. This 11 and 12 July 2023

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included looking at case studies and reviewing the school’s record of pre-employment checks.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher. The inspector also met with leaders with responsibility for SEND, early reading, personal development, and behaviour.  The inspector spoke with school’s improvement partner.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Guy Forbat, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 11 and 12 July 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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