Bollinbrook CofE (A) Primary School

Inspection of Bollinbrook CofE Primary School Abbey Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 3AT

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 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 Requires improvement 19 and 20 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Bollinbrook CofE Primary School embody the school’s values of honesty, respect and love. Staff warmly welcome pupils into school each day. They ensure that pupils feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils understand these expectations, and they rise to them. Typically, most pupils achieve well across a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, engage fully in their lessons. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. Disruption to pupils’ learning and to school life is rare. Should any poor behaviour happen, pupils trust adults to deal with it quickly so that it does not happen again.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are offered a range of opportunities that successfully promote their wider personal development. These activities include trips, visiting speakers and clubs such as parkour and hockey. The school takes advantage of its extensive grounds to enable pupils to learn outdoors. Pupils benefit from the expertise in music that staff have. Pupils enjoy opportunities to learn to play instruments and to perform.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be awarded positions of responsibility, such as acting as prefects, monitors and librarians. They carry out these roles diligently.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has continued to develop and embed the curriculum, including in the early years. The curriculum is suitably broad, balanced and ambitious. During a period of considerable change and instability, the school has successfully overhauled the quality of education that pupils receive.

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better?

From the early years to Year 6, the school has identified the most important knowledge that it wants pupils to know. This means that pupils successfully build and deepen their knowledge over time. Typically, pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their education. For example, children in the early years are ready for the demands of key stage 1.

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better?

Teachers are well equipped to design activities that enable pupils to learn the intended curriculum. Staff are adept at addressing pupils’ misconceptions. They use the school’s assessment systems well to identify where pupils may have gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Adults use this information well to shape future learning.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading, from the early years to Year 6. Pupils, and children in the early years, read widely and often. Pupils take home books to read that closely match the sounds that they have learned. Staff check carefully that 19 and 20 September 2023

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pupils can remember previously learned sounds. Adults successfully help pupils who may be struggling to keep up with the phonics programme. As a result, most pupils are confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 2. The school has cultivated a love of reading, and pupils were enthusiastic to show inspectors their new library.

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The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. Staff successfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Adults ensure that these pupils can join in with their classmates in all aspects of school life, including in extra-curricular activities.

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Pupils, and children in the early years, enjoy school and have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils can concentrate well in lessons. They behave respectfully towards each other, and they are proud of themselves when they succeed.

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The school has introduced new systems to improve pupils’ rates of attendance. These strategies have been effective. The majority of pupils attend school every day, and they are punctual.

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Pupils say that everyone is welcome in their school. They know how to keep themselves safe online and how to keep themselves physically healthy. Pupils ensure that everybody is treated equally. However, the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme does not afford pupils sufficient opportunities to learn about some aspects of fundamental British values in enough depth. For example, some pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of different faiths and cultures.

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Governors understand their statutory duties, and they fulfil their responsibilities well. They have a firm grasp of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are supportive of staff but also challenge and successfully hold the leadership team to account.

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Leaders at all levels work collaboratively to improve the school. However, some parents and carers feel that communication from the school is not as strong as it could be. For example, some parents believe that they do not receive sufficient information about how well their child is progressing through the curriculum.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support that they receive from leaders to manage their workload and to look after their well-being. For instance, the leadership team considers how best to implement new initiatives without overburdening staff. Consequently, staff feel valued, and they take pride in their work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 19 and 20 September 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some parents are concerned about how well the school communicates with them. This means that some parents do not feel as equipped as they should to assist their children with their learning. The school should improve its communication with parents to help them to better support their child’s education.  The PSHE programme does not cover aspects of fundamental British values in sufficient depth. As a result, some pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of the importance of these values in modern British society. The school should ensure that its PSHE curriculum enhances pupils’ knowledge and understanding of all aspects of fundamental British values.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England school. The last section 48 inspection was in April 2018. The next section 48 inspection is due by 2025.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for pupils.  The governors manage a breakfast and after-school 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 19 and 20 September 2023

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 During the inspection, the lead inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. Inspectors heard some pupils read to a trusted adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in

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corridors, at breaktimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons. Inspectors also spoke with pupils about behaviour and bullying.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their programme of wider personal development.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including school policies, records of behaviour, school improvement documents and a sample of documents for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors took into account the responses from Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Ruth Moran, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Berry Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 September 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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