Bentley High Street Primary School

Inspection of Bentley High Street Primary School High Street, Bentley, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN5 0AA

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good

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The executive principal of this school is Rebecca Austwick. This school is part of Exceed Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Beryce Nixon OBE, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Blount. 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an extremely strong education here. The school’s focus on providing ‘every child, every chance, every day’ is central to the decisions of leaders and to the collective actions of staff. Consequently, pupils are supported to achieve well, regardless of any barriers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, respectful and friendly. They are inclusive of their peers and welcoming towards visitors. During conversations, they are engaging and conduct themselves maturely. Acts of unkindness, such as bullying are rare. Pupils trust adults in the school to help them to resolve any such incidents. In lessons, pupils are committed to their learning. At social times, they play well with each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have considered carefully the experiences that they want pupils to have during their time at the school. The ‘Bentley High Street experiences’ programme ensures that all pupils benefit from these. Some are linked to the curriculum, such as taking part in a debate or participating in the annual social justice project. The school prepares pupils well for these opportunities. Others, such as travelling by train, take account of the school’s location. Many, including visits to museums and places of worship, are planned to build pupils’ cultural capital.

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

The school has developed a highly ambitious curriculum, across all subjects and year groups. It has precisely identified what pupils need to learn well and in what order. In multiple subjects, this goes beyond the expectations of the national curriculum. What pupils learn builds carefully on what they know already. The activities that pupils complete in lessons focus consistently on the most important knowledge in each subject. As a result, lessons contribute strongly to pupils’ understanding.

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

In each subject, teachers skilfully use assessment to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. When gaps are identified, the school ensures that pupils receive the extra support they need to keep up. This helps to contribute to pupils’ strong knowledge of the curriculum. Pupils achieve very well in national assessments.

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

The school provides effective, personalised training for staff who teach its phonics programme. This helps adults to teach phonics with consistency. If pupils struggle to keep up, skilled staff support them to catch up quickly. Over time, pupils learn to read fluently and with expression. Pupils’ strong reading ability is reflected in their impressive outcomes in national assessments.

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

Children in the early years benefit from an extremely strong start to their time at school. The school has constructed a comprehensive curriculum. It quickly identifies any gaps in children’s knowledge. Skilled staff adapt their teaching to make sure that children routinely receive the support that they need. Opportunities to develop children’s vocabulary and reading are particularly well used. The school’s high-quality provision means that children are very well prepared for key stage 1. 8 and 9 October 2024

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The school quickly identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It works alongside external professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to secure the additional help that these pupils need. The school’s refined use of assessment ensures that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are addressed swiftly. Consequently, these pupils make strong progress from their starting points.

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Pupils’ personal development is a high priority in the school. Pupils hold a range of meaningful leadership roles. The student council support their peers to identify additional clubs that they would like. Other pupils lead on environmental or charitable work in different areas. The school’s high-quality careers curriculum is aspirational. It draws on local labour market information to provide pupils with knowledge of future opportunities that may interest them. Pupils have a secure understanding of the school’s personal, social and health education curriculum. For example, they can talk about the benefits of eating healthily. Other pupils explain the importance of celebrating the diverse backgrounds of pupils who attend the school.

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Pupils attend school regularly. The school analyses the reasons for pupils’ absence carefully. It uses this information to provide support for pupils and their families. By working effectively alongside families, the school ensures that attendance, including for disadvantaged pupils, continues to increase.

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Those with responsibility for governance, and the trust, know the school extremely well. They provide effective scrutiny of the school’s work. Leaders at all levels consistently focus on ensuring that pupils achieve the best education possible.

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Staff at the school feel extremely well supported. They know that leaders consider the impact of their decisions on pupils and on the workload of staff. Leaders across the school are established and knowledgeable in their roles. In addition to supporting improvements in this school, they also contribute to developments across the trust.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 8 and 9 October 2024

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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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Principal Rebecca Austwick (Executive Principal)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Exceed Learning Partnership.  The school does not currently use any 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  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 members of the trust board, the local governing board and the trust’s CEO.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the executive principal and head of school. They also met with other senior and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, early years provision and personal development.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, geography

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and art and design. 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 reviewed samples of pupils’ work and visited lessons from a range of other subjects.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation regarding the support that pupils with SEND receive. They looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND in lessons as well as in the school’s on-site specialist provision ‘the hub’.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes from governing board meetings as well as the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.  Inspectors looked at a range of information regarding behaviour. They observed the behaviour of pupils in classrooms and at social times.  The views of pupils and staff who responded to Ofsted’s surveys were considered.

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 Inspectors considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Thomas Wraith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Zoe Helman His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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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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