Bottisham Village College

Inspection of Bottisham Village College Lode Road, Bottisham, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB25 9DL

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The principal of this school is Jenny Rankine. This school is part of Anglian Learning, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Jonathan Culpin, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Pain.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 26 and 27 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ success. Many pupils do well in examinations and develop an impressive range of skills and attributes. However, support in class for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is not always as good as it should be. A new approach to the organisation of the school day is still settling in. Some classes are varied and interesting but in others time is not used as effectively. A wide range of popular clubs and trips are provided. These include sporting and artistic activities. A variety of opportunities is provided for pupils to show and develop leadership qualities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe. Most are happy and behave appropriately. The majority get on well with their teachers. Clear anti-bullying strategies and messages are in place. However, bullying by a minority of pupils does happen. Some pupils are reluctant to report when it happens because they are not confident it will be dealt with in a way that makes it stop. Improvements have been made. The number of incidents of poor behaviour in lessons has decreased. Unkind language happens but is usually challenged swiftly and firmly. Pupils feel comfortable in expressing their individual identities. The school community proudly celebrates difference.

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better?

The curriculum is broad and includes all the national curriculum subjects. A good range of examination subjects is on offer for pupils in Years 10 and 11. Typically, teachers have good knowledge of their subjects and explain ideas clearly. They assess pupils regularly and accurately through questioning and formal testing to check retention of knowledge and adapt lessons where needed.

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better?

Some subject departments have adapted to recent changes in the school day very well. Other subjects are still adjusting to this because the previous curriculum plans have not yet been adapted for longer lesson times. Additionally, some pupils find it more difficult to sustain interest or maintain behaviour, including in subjects where they have less frequent lessons.

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better?

The school promotes some aspects of reading well. The library, shared with the local community, is well stocked and popular with pupils. However, support for those who struggle to read, including older pupils, is less well developed. As a result, some pupils still do not read as well as they could, which holds them back.

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better?

Provision and leadership for SEND has been strengthened to reflect increases in pupil numbers. However, while they can access the full curriculum, pupils with SEND do not always get the support they need in class. This means that they do not always behave or achieve as well as they should. The school has recently established additional provision for pupils with SEND, ‘The Coral’. Here, a small number of pupils have access to a bespoke curriculum in English, mathematics and science, and targeted support and activities to reflect individual needs. 26 and 27 March 2024

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While fewer pupils are being removed from class than last year, some low-level disruption still occurs and is repeated because it is not always dealt with effectively.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is strong. Programmes for personal, social and health education are well thought out. Pupils have a broad understanding of respect for everyone, which is helping to improve behaviour. Good work is done to promote pupils’ interests through the wide range of artistic, dramatic and sporting clubs and events available to all year groups.

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Over the past few years, the school has undergone considerable change. Staff are highly appreciative of how their workload has been considered during this time. Effective support is given to teachers in the early stages of their careers. The school has implemented several new policies and procedures. While these have been carefully planned, they are very recent and are not yet fully effective in practice. Leaders have made decisive changes to improve the school and are committed to seeing these through.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although incidents of bullying are usually resolved when raised by pupils and parents, these are not always addressed effectively. The school should take steps to check staff are following the agreed procedures so that incidents of bullying are not repeated.  Some pupils with SEND do not get the support they need in class to help them behave well and make good progress. This is because the guidance laid out in support plans is not always followed. The school should ensure that pupils with SEND are supported effectively in class so that they able to behave well and make good progress.  The new lesson structure is in the early stages of implementation. Some subjects have been adapted well but others have yet to adjust to working over longer periods of time. In some classes, pupils find it hard to sustain focus, which hinders their progress. The school should continue to develop the new curriculum in individual subjects so that the most effective use of time is made in lessons.

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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). 26 and 27 March 2024

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1455

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 June 2012

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Information about this school

 The school joined Anglian Learning in 2016.  Since the last inspection, the school has undergone a significant expansion, including a major building project and an increase in the school’s capacity from 1000 to 1500 pupils.  In September 2023, the school day underwent a significant change. A day now comprises three 100-minute periods, compared with the previous arrangement of five 60-minute lessons.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provider.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 26 and 27 March 2024

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 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science, art and design, history, and modern foreign languages. 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 and visited classrooms in other subjects.  Meetings were held throughout the inspection with the principal, deputy and assistant principals, and the deputy chief executive officer from Anglian Learning. Inspectors also met with a group of trustees and local governors and with the

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chief executive officer.  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 met with groups of staff. They also met with pupils from across the school in formal discussion panels, and during break and lunchtimes. They took account of 99 responses to Ofsted’s inspection survey for school staff, 353 responses to Ofsted’s inspection survey for pupils, and 323 responses to Ofsted’s survey of parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Mark Phillips, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Barr Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 March 2024

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