Boorley Park

Inspection of Boorley Park Boorley Park Primary School, 7 Nairn Road, Boorley Park, Botley, Hampshire SO32 2SH

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Tamsin Sillars. This school is part of Wildern Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Stephen Mann, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kathryn Griffin. 19 and 20 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their school. They are very enthusiastic about learning and are happy. Pupils are respectful to adults and to each other. Strong relationships permeate throughout the school. Pupils are encouraged to live out the school’s values, which include generosity and respect. They raise money for different charities. Furthermore, they are expected to give their time to tasks, such as being ‘playground pals’, to help make the school feel safe and secure. Pupils also learn about different viewpoints and how to express their opinions and views respectfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is ambitious for all pupils to do well and achieve their very best. Adults set clear expectations for learning. Most pupils rise well to these expectations. They work hard in lessons and generally achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They walk around the school in a calm and orderly manner. This includes children in Reception, who make a positive start to their education. Even in the initial weeks of the Reception Year, it is clear how they have settled quickly and are focused on learning. At playtimes, pupils play happily together, enjoying the extensive school grounds. Pupils say that there is nowhere in the school where they feel unsafe. They state that everyone is kind.

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better?

The school offers a broad and interesting curriculum. This curriculum identifies the important knowledge pupils need to learn right from the start of Reception. It ensures high ambition for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. The school has ensured that any additional needs that pupils may have are identified as early as possible. These are then addressed swiftly to avoid wasting important learning time.

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better?

In some subjects, for example mathematics and art and design, the curriculum is more established. There is a clear understanding of how pupils’ knowledge and skills build over time. The school provides teachers with effective support to design tasks that enable pupils to develop their understanding. Teachers plan helpful opportunities for pupils to revisit and apply their learning. For example, in mathematics, pupils recall and use their knowledge of calculation to consider and solve problems in different contexts. Teachers in all year groups ensure that pupils with SEND access the curriculum effectively. For example, in art, teachers adapt resources such as brushes and pencils effectively to enable pupils to practise the important skills of painting and drawing. In these subjects, pupils make connections between topics to help them remember their learning. They achieve well.

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better?

However, a few subjects are at an earlier stage of development. In these subjects, teachers are not currently using activities that enable pupils to learn as well as they could. What pupils do not yet know or understand is not always identified precisely enough and addressed effectively. In these subjects, subject leadership is also at an earlier stage of development. The school has not yet provided the opportunity to 19 and 20 September 2023

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develop subject leaders’ knowledge in sufficient detail so they can check that pupils are learning effectively in every subject.

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The school prioritises reading. Carefully chosen, high-quality texts to teach comprehension and extend pupils’ vocabulary have been identified. Children learn phonics right from the start of Reception using a well-sequenced programme. When learning to read, pupils read books containing the sounds they know. This helps them to build confidence as a reader. While reading is generally taught well, some phonics teaching is not as sharply focused as it could be. Also, there is some variability in the quality of extra support that a few pupils receive. However, the school knows exactly what needs to be done to iron out these inconsistencies.

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Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has worked hard to improve pupils’ attendance. Successful strategies have enabled the number of pupils who are persistently absent to reduce significantly. Most pupils now attend school regularly.

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The school has a carefully considered approach to supporting pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn age-appropriate knowledge of healthy relationships and diversity. They learn about eating well and maintaining an active lifestyle. They also learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. The school has introduced opportunities to develop pupils’ talents and broaden their interests. This includes different school clubs and trips to the zoo, museums and an art gallery.

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All members of the school work well together to continue to improve provision for the pupils. The school is determined that all staff have access to high-quality training to develop their expertise. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They recognise that they have the time to focus on the aspects of their work that have the most impact on pupils’ learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some inconsistencies in how well some pupils are supported to learn to read. This means that some pupils do not learn to read quickly enough. The school should ensure that these inconsistencies are ironed out so that all pupils learn to read confidently and fluently as quickly as possible.  Subject leadership in some foundation subjects is at an early stage of development. Some subject leaders need to deepen their subject and pedagogical content knowledge, so that they can support staff to implement the curriculum more effectively. The school should ensure that subject leadership across the whole curriculum improves. 19 and 20 September 2023

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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

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Boorley Park School opened in September 2019. It currently has pupils in Reception up to Year 4.  The school is part of the Wildern multi-academy trust.  The school currently uses three registered providers of alternative provision.

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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 inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust. The lead inspector also met with members of the board of trustees, including the chair of the trust, the chair of the local governing body and the school’s chosen school improvement partner from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors 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 inspectors also considered planning and documentation from some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The views of parents and carers were considered through their responses to Ofsted Parent View. Further views of pupils and staff were gathered through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documents, including self-evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Sue Keeling, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Wilkins 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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