Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School Cobby Castle Lane, Bishopton TS21 1HD

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Outcome

Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Jonathon Bull. This school is part of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Paul Rickeard, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Taylor.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s core values, which include friendship and respect, are ever present in this school. Pupils are kind and caring towards each other. The relationships they have between their peers and with staff make this school an inclusive and welcoming place to learn. Pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils rise to these expectations and do well. They are eager to learn. Pupils set a good example to each other with their positive attitudes to learning. They are enthusiastic about many aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a broad, well-planned curriculum. They enjoy a range of after-school and lunchtime clubs such as sport, cookery and a ‘SEWcial’ club. New initiatives for older pupils, like podcasting, help pupils develop interview skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are appreciative of the care and support provided for pupils. One parent captured the views of many in commenting, ‘my children move from strength to strength at Bishopton Redmarshall.’

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

The school has had a number of recent changes to leadership and staffing. The school has used this change as an opportunity to review the curriculum to ensure it is fit for purpose. 20 March 2024

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This curriculum in the early years is well connected to the curriculum in key stage 1. This ensures children are ready for their next steps in learning.

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Important knowledge and skills are carefully mapped out through all year groups. This ensures progression for pupils. The small steps of learning build carefully in subjects like mathematics and history. In early years, children learn about recent changes in history. They understand the importance of people like Neil Armstrong. In lessons, staff emphasise the planned connections across the different historical topics taught. However, sometimes pupils do not make these connections independently or routinely remember and connect previous learning as well as leaders intend them to.

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Reading is at the heart of the curriculum offer. The school ensures that pupils can read well so that they can access the rest of the subject curriculum. Pupils of all ages enjoy a carefully curated selection of books. Children in early years readily engage in their daily story time. Older pupils enthusiastically reflect on books past and present that they enjoy. Pupils at the earliest stages of reading benefit from clearly structured phonics lessons. Adults use the same language, methods and resources to create a consistent approach in teaching phonics. Staff are adept in the use of questioning to make sure that pupils are on track with their reading.

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The school supports pupils with SEND well. Carefully considered adaptations, linked to purposeful targets, ensure that pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers. The school liaises effectively with other professionals to provide specialist support where necessary.

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Lessons are calm and orderly. Pupils understand and articulate the high expectations the school has for them. Routines are well embedded across school. These start in early years. Break and lunchtimes are happy sociable times. The family feel of the school is evident as pupils across year groups play together well.

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The school provides a wide range of additional activities to further enhance the curriculum. These are carefully linked to the local area as well as the curriculum. Pupils learn about retired racehorses and enjoy visits to local castles. Visitors to school, such as a local illustrator, bring books to life. Pupils develop their speaking and listening through interviewing visitors to school. Pupils are proud to take an active part in school leadership. The curriculum linked to personal, social and health education equips pupils with the important knowledge that they need to be ready for life in modern Britain. Pupils have a deep understanding of equality and protected characteristics. They can talk in detail about groups protected by law and the difference that this makes.

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The well-being of leaders and staff is a high priority for those responsible for governance, including the trust. Staff and leaders appreciate this. Staff are proud to work here just as the children are proud to attend this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 March 2024

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The school has clear systems for keep pupils safe. Procedures and protocols to raise concerns about pupils and adults are clear. Training for staff is timely. Adults are aware of issues in the locality that might impact the pupils who attend here. Those responsible for governance fulfil their safeguarding duties. Checks made to ensure that adults are safe to work with pupils are robust.

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Adults know where to take concerns to promptly. These are clearly recorded. Sometimes the actions that are taken to keep pupils safe are not recorded as effectively as they could be. It is not always clear what actions were taken and in what order. The school recognises the need to strengthen this further.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some records linked to safeguarding are not held centrally and/or recorded as efficiently as they could be. As such, the actions taken by leaders to keep pupils safe are not consistently recorded in a clear chronological format. The school must ensure actions to keep pupils safe are recorded effectively.  In a small number of subjects, the impact of the school’s curriculum is inconsistent. Pupils are not consistently building and connecting their knowledge and skills as effectively as they could. The school needs to ensure that the ambitious curriculum is implemented as leaders intend and plan for, so that pupils know and remember more of what they have been taught.

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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 on 12 and 13 February 2019.

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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. 20 March 2024

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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). 20 March 2024

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School details

Website http://www.bishoptonredmarshall.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher came into post in September 2022.  The school is part of the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Trust.  The school is a member of the Church of England Diocese of Durham and has a Christian character.  Its most recent section 48 inspection was in February 2017. The school was judged good. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  The school does not use any alternative educational providers.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 20 March 2024

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 Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and history. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers and teaching assistants. They spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to pupils at the early stages of reading with a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 gathered views of parents informally in person and formally through

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responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free-text responses. The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings with them. Pupils’ views were considered through a pupil survey and through pupil meetings.  Inspectors spoke with representatives from the local academy council, the board of trustees, the chief executive officer and those responsible for school improvement from the multi-academy trust.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classes, during breaks and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Emily Stevens, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Simon Ward Ofsted Inspector 20 March 2024

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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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