Booker Hill Primary School & Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Booker Hill School Field Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP12 4LR

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 November 2023

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Outcome

Booker Hill School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are enthusiastic about their learning and their school life. They are proud to be part of an inclusive school community. One pupil summed up the views of many, saying: ‘Everyone, from anywhere in the world, is welcome here.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for how pupils and adults should treat each other. They teach pupils what behaviour they expect. As a result, pupils behave well across the school. Pupils feel safe. They play happily together in the school’s carefully designed zones, such as the outdoor gym and the designated quiet spaces. On the rare occasions when behaviour is less positive, including any bullying, staff address this swiftly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a well-defined and ambitious curriculum. Pupils take the school’s commitment to ‘learning without limits’ seriously. They appreciate the support they get from staff to help them do their best. As a result, they typically achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the opportunities that support their learning. These include a range of clubs, such as chess, dance and football, to develop pupils’ interests. Visits from theatre companies and regular practical lessons in the grounds around the school enrich and enthuse pupils’ love of learning.

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

The school has an ambitious curriculum. This is carefully planned to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has rightly prioritised some subject areas, such as mathematics, phonics and early reading. In these, teachers are clear about what needs to be taught. They check carefully to see if pupils have understood what they have been learning. This starts as children join the school in the Nursery class. Across the wider curriculum, subjects are at different stages of development. In some subjects, the work given to pupils is precisely matched to the curriculum, and teachers systematically check what pupils remember. In these 21 and 22 November 2023

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subjects, pupils learn well. There are a few subjects, however, where the work and the checks are not so closely matched. Consequently, pupils do not always achieve as well as they could in these subjects.

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The school is led well. Leaders consider staff workload and take effective action, which helps staff to manage pressures and challenges in positive ways. The school’s strengths and areas for development are known and understood. The school supports staff successfully in ways that have led to sustained improvements, such as in developing phonics and reading.

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Pupils are keen and avid readers. They enjoy using their well-stocked and inviting school library, especially at lunchtimes. They say that the school library is one of their favourite places because ‘it’s great to be able to lose yourself in a good book.’ Leaders have created a culture where pupils and staff make the most of every opportunity to enjoy reading. The school uses a well-sequenced scheme to teach phonics. Struggling readers who need additional support are given the right resources to help them catch up quickly. As a result, pupils become fluent and confident readers.

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Pupils with SEND achieve well across most of the curriculum because of effective provision. Staff work closely with specialists to offer strong support to children where needed. Staff adapt the curriculum well in some subjects and, with the same high expectations, ensure that provision matches the targets identified for each pupil closely. The school has rightly identified that some pupils’ specific needs are not consistently well supported in some of the wider curriculum subjects.

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The school is ambitious for all pupils. Children get off to a strong start in the Nursery and Reception classes. Caring staff build nurturing relationships with children and quickly establish positive routines. Children play and learn with thought and care. They wait their turn and use resources independently, which helps them to deepen their understanding of the world around them. Leaders foster pupils’ love of learning throughout the school, and pupils take pride in working hard and in their many achievements.

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Pupils are proud to represent the school in different ways. Older pupils take the role of house captain seriously. They know that they are role models for the rest of the school. During playtimes, leaders help to organise activities and make sure everyone is included in games. Pupils live out the school’s ‘ASPIRE’ values. They talk about why these matter to them and how the values help them to make positive choices in their lives. This gives pupils the knowledge and skills they need to be active citizens in the community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 In a small number of subjects, work in lessons and checks on what pupils’ have learned are not precise enough. As a result, pupils sometimes have gaps in their learning and are not able to connect new learning to what they have learned before. The school should ensure that staff emphasise the most important content and then check that pupils have learned and remembered it over time.  Staff do not always consider how best to teach each subject so that all pupils, including those with SEND, can access the learning easily. This means that some pupils do not quickly secure new ideas and knowledge. The school should help and support staff to know how they can adapt learning appropriately to support all pupils effectively.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 21 and 22 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Matthew McCormack

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 February 2018 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The new headteacher took up her post in September 2023.  The school has provision for two-year-olds in the nursery.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the leader responsible for pupils with SEND, many teachers, and support staff.  The inspector met with the school’s governors, including the chair and the vice-chair.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, 21 and 22 November 2023

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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 looked at other areas of the curriculum.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and staff to hear their views.  The inspector considered the responses to the confidential Ofsted surveys for staff and pupils, as well as Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Clare Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 November 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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