Bucklesham Primary School

Inspection of Bucklesham Primary School Main Road, Bucklesham, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0AX

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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 Good 9 and 10 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This small, caring school has a big vision for children’s lives. Pupils like their school and they attend regularly. They are happy and safe because staff have pupils’ physical and mental welfare at the forefront of their minds. If pupils ever have a concern they can turn to a teacher for help. Pupils’ behaviour is calm and respectful because of their teachers’ high expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children, as from Reception, learn to read well. Older pupils re-tell stories and discuss the books they read. Pupils are ready to learn. Pupils participate eagerly in class. They help each other to learn better.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of trips. Pupils visit the zoo, a farm, the seaside and the natural history museum. These experiences enhance pupils’ knowledge of nature, evolution, the environment and life in Anglo-Saxon and Victorian Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils visit London and the Houses of Parliament. This enriches their understanding of democracy and other fundamental British values. Pupils exercise their democratic rights by voting for school councillors and head pupils. Reception-age children gain useful responsibilities. They tidy the classroom, arrange books and report on the weather. School counsellors give assemblies on how pupils should behave and respect each other. These opportunities build pupils’ confidence and prepare them well for the future.

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better?

Leaders have recently constructed a new, more ambitious curriculum. They have carefully selected the knowledge pupils learn. In light of some low outcomes in 2023, particularly in mathematics, leaders have provided precise training to help teachers hone their subject knowledge further. As a result, pupils now calculate with increased accuracy. Leaders are refining the curriculum further so that pupils apply their knowledge more regularly to reason, solve problems and carry out experiments.

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better?

Teachers break learning into small chunks so that pupils understand. They explain new ideas with clarity. In most areas of the curriculum, teachers systematically check how well pupils are learning. In some areas, teachers do not identify misconceptions, mistakes and gaps in knowledge with the same rigour. Pupils, therefore, continue to make the same mistakes, which slows their learning.

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better?

Leaders have made the teaching of reading a priority. Teachers adopt a highly consistent approach to phonics and early reading. Pupils receive much practise of new and previously learned sounds. As a result, children in Reception build sounds quickly. They automatically blend and begin to read familiar language with fluency. In Years 1 and 2, pupils read with expression. Teachers meticulously analyse how well pupils read. Any pupils who fall behind receive precise support and they catch up. 9 and 10 July 2024

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Leaders accurately identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They use a range of outside agencies to provide pupils with SEND with the help they need. However, for some pupils, leaders do not evaluate the impact of this support with precision. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not access the curriculum as well as they might. Leaders are aware of this and have recently put in systems to address this.

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The early years curriculum provides a firm foundation for future learning. Children quickly gain language and grasp understanding of the world around them. Learning activities ensure children practise this knowledge. This helps them to express their ideas using correct subject-specific language. Children show tremendous resilience when working in groups, for example when constructing an obstacle course.

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The school caters well for pupils’ wider personal development. Pupils know how to nurture positive relationships. Peer mentors support other pupils and help to resolve disputes. Pupils are open minded, kind and considerate of others. They learn about people who are different from them in the books they read. This helps them to empathise with people who experience prejudice and other challenges in the world. Pupils know what is right and know when attitudes are harmful. Pupils do not tolerate unkind behaviours.

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Pupils appreciate a range of clubs and other extra-curricular activities. They dance, sing, perform and play musical instruments. They regularly compete regionally in sporting and academic challenges. Older pupils organise games and referee sports at lunchtime. Pupils, therefore, develop teamworking and leadership skills.

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Leaders, governors and the local authority incisively evaluate how well the school is performing. Governors firmly hold leaders to account for their actions. Staff are happy. They value the training they receive, which helps them to implement the curriculum better.

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Parents overwhelmingly endorse the quality of education their children receive. Leaders have reached out to the community. Some parents play an active part in supporting school life. Leaders are indeed ‘aiming high’. They are well placed to ensure the school improves further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of the curriculum, some teachers do not systematically check errors, misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils continue to 9 and 10 July 2024

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make the same mistakes and do not learn as well as they could. The school needs to ensure staff address pupils’ mistakes and misunderstanding with greater rigour so that pupils learn even better.

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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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Charlotte Gammons

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School details

Website www.buckleshamprimaryschool.co.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes no use 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.  The inspectors met with the chair of governors, other governors, the headteacher, other leaders, subject leaders, teachers and support staff. The inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics and science. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, meetings with staff and pupils, scrutiny of pupils’ work and a review of any curriculum documentation. They also scrutinised other curriculum documentation and other areas of the curriculum. 9 and 10 July 2024

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 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.  The inspectors considered the views of pupils, staff and parents. There were 13 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were 24 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. There were 31 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors considered 30 free-text responses from parents.

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Inspection team

Adam Cooke, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Rockey His Majesty’s Inspector 9 and 10 July 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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