Bowes Primary School

Inspection of Bowes Primary School Bowes Road, New Southgate, London N11 2HL

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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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 Not previously inspected

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The headteacher of this school is Effie Demetriou. This school is part of Connect Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Androulla Nicou and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alex Monk.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Bowes Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Bowes Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a very happy and purposeful school. It wholly succeeds in its ambition to nurture all pupils’ hearts and minds. Everyone lives up to the school’s core values of resilience, respect and responsibility. Staff and pupils enjoy excellent working relationships. Pupils know that staff will always look out for them, so they feel safe and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school strives to ensure that all pupils achieve their very best, both academically and socially. Pupils gain extensive knowledge across a wide range of subjects. Staff skilfully make adaptations, including, where appropriate, to the teaching of the curriculum, to meet pupils’ needs. These highly effective strategies mean that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are helped to meet their full potential.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour, social and character development are superb. For example, right from Nursery, children are taught routines, how to respect all people and to be kind to each other. Pupil-led assemblies focus on current affairs and key moral issues. From Reception upwards, all pupils receive bi-annual basic first aid training so that they know what to do in an emergency. Pupils with high needs SEND benefit from a bespoke programme that helps them to develop their independence.

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

Across the year groups and subjects, pupils achieve extremely well. They develop deep knowledge and produce work of a very high standard. This is because the school has put extensive thought into designing a very rich curriculum. Teachers have much expertise. They help pupils to make meaningful links between different areas of learning. Well- deployed strategies support pupils to remember key knowledge over time. There is a continuous drive to develop pupils’ communication and writing skills. This enables pupils to express their views with eloquence, both in conversation and in writing. The teaching of reading is a top priority. The well-established phonics programme and where needed, extra support, ensure that pupils become confident and fluent readers. In the early years curriculum, resources, tasks and interactions between adults and children are deliberately chosen to ensure that children are securely prepared for Year 1 and beyond. Staff check

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

on pupils’ learning routinely. They use their findings intelligently to address knowledge gaps and misconceptions.

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

The school has robust systems for identifying and meeting the needs of all pupils. There is a high proportion of pupils with SEND, especially those with education, health and care (EHC) plans. Staff are very well trained to support a range of SEND needs, leading to these pupils succeeding in their learning. Some pupils with EHC plans have very high needs. The school’s ‘Windermere’ provision offers these pupils specialised, targeted support, ensuring that they study bespoke, ambitious curriculums tailored to meet their individual needs. This context accounts for some of the published provisional 2024 outcomes not being significantly above average, as in previous years.

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

Pupils’ learning is enriched in several ways. These include plentiful subject-specific trips and visitors to school. The school also makes use of a wide range of resources, including, 14 and 15 January 2025

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for instance, digital technology, to enhance pupils’ experiences across the curriculum. In Nursery, for example, children used virtual reality headsets to see what is under the sea, while in science, pupils used the headsets to supplement their study of the human heart.

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Children in the early years are supported to concentrate for long periods and collaborate well with their classmates. Typically, pupils approach their work with diligence and interest. When things are tricky, they do not give up as they are determined to succeed. Throughout the day there is a tranquil ambience. Pupils appreciate the `safe space’ in all classrooms, where they can choose to go and calm down if they begin to feel emotional. This helps them to self-regulate and return to their lessons quickly. These very positive attitudes play a key role in ensuring pupils’ success. Improving attendance is a key priority. The school has deployed a range of successful strategies to reduce the rates of pupils’ absence.

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The school provides an extremely well-considered programme to promote pupils’ personal development. Pupils are made aware of how to support their physical and mental health and what to do to keep themselves safe online and in the real world. They are taught about consent and how to form healthy relationships. The uptake of extra-curricular clubs is particularly high for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. The school runs a popular enrichment programme throughout the year, including school holidays, for pupils who need a boost in their cultural capital.

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Leadership at all levels is strong and aspirational. The trustees and local governors play a key role in monitoring, supporting and holding the school to account. The school provides staff with extensive opportunities for professional development. It pays much attention to staff well-being. Staff feel valued.

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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.

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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 14 and 15 January 2025

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Connect Education Trust on 1 September 2016.  The headteacher, who was previously the deputy headteacher, took up her post in September 2017  The school does not make 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. 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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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: early reading, mathematics, art and design and history. 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 considered other subjects as part of the inspection.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They spoke with the vice-chair and CEO of the trust, the chair of the local governing body and other trustees and governors.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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 reviewed a range of documentation, including looking at records of pupils’ behaviour. Inspectors also had formal meetings with groups of staff and with groups of pupils.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. They spoke with parents and carers at the end of the day. They also considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

David Radomsky, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Abi Misselbrook-Lovejoy Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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