Blaise Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of Blaise Primary and Nursery School Clavell Road, Henbury, Bristol BS10 7EJ

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since November 2013. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 11 and 12 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is at the heart of the community it serves. Pupils describe it as a welcoming place where everyone works hard to make friends. They understand how the school values help them to be kind, resilient and solve problems. The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. Pupils enjoy their learning and attain well in most subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well and show good manners. They follow the school rules in and outside the classroom. This starts in Nursery where children take turns and share equipment when playing with friends. Pupils talk with maturity about the importance of showing respect so that ‘no one feels ashamed for who they are’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils build warm and respectful relationships with staff. They trust adults to listen and help them with any worries or concerns. Staff provide effective support for pupils who find it difficult to manage their emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs and visits such as football, mindfulness and trips to museums. They are keen to take on leadership roles, which include sports captain, house captain and school council. Pupils understand how these roles make them feel important and help them to become role models to others.

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

The school has a clear vision for what pupils can achieve. An ambitious curriculum is designed and sequenced well. In art and design, for example, the curriculum makes clear the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and when. In Reception Year, children use different media to create pictures. Older pupils use words such as ‘cross hatching’ to describe their techniques when sketching.

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

Reading has a high priority within the school’s curriculum. Pupils enjoy reading and talk positively about the books that adults read to them in class. Children in the early years, including those who have English as an additional language, learn and remember new sounds well. If pupils fall behind, they receive the support they need to catch up quickly. As pupils move through the school, they read with increasing accuracy and fluency.

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

In most subjects, teachers have the knowledge they need to teach the curriculum effectively. In mathematics, for example, teachers introduce concepts clearly and adapt learning well. Children in the early years confidently develop their understanding of number. Older pupils use their prior mathematical knowledge when solving problems involving long multiplication.

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

Despite this, in some areas of the curriculum, learning activities are not adapted well enough to meet pupils’ needs. Where this is case, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge or do not build a depth of understanding over time. This hampers the progress that some pupils make across the curriculum. Published outcomes in national curriculum tests in 2024 at the higher standard reflect this. 11 and 12 February 2025

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The school is ambitious for an increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There are robust systems in place to swiftly identify needs. The school uses the advice it receives from external agencies well. Most pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers because of this. For example, older pupils with SEND talk confidently about the different stitching techniques they use when making a bag.

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Most pupils display positive attitudes towards their learning. This starts in Nursery where children respond to the routines that are in place and are eager to share their ideas with adults. Pupils behave well during social times. They enjoy the activities on offer to them and play well together.

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The school monitors attendance rigorously. It works closely with families to provide the right support to bring about improvement. Despite this, the numbers of pupils who are persistently absent from school is too high. These pupils miss learning. Though the school is working hard to improve attendance, there is more work to do to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

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The school provides pupils with wide-ranging opportunities to develop personally. Pupils understand why fundamental British values, such as democracy, are important in the society they live in. They learn to be understanding of people who have different families, backgrounds and beliefs. The school develops pupils’ character by taking part in community tree planting events or visiting local shops.

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Governors use their expertise to hold the school to account for its actions. They know what the school does well and where it needs to improve. Staff value the school’s focus on their workload and wellbeing. They appreciate the time they have to carry out their roles and the opportunities to collaborate with other schools which develops their expertise.

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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, learning is not adapted well enough to meet some pupils’ needs. Where this is the case, pupils do not develop their depth of knowledge well enough across the curriculum. The school needs to continue to ensure that learning is suitably adapted so that all groups of pupils progress through the curriculum well.  The attendance of some pupils is still too low. These pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they should. The school needs to continue the work it is doing to improve the attendance of pupils who are persistently absent. 11 and 12 February 2025

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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 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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Co-chairs of governing body Ciara Mullan Andrew Reynolds Headteacher Massimo Bonaddio

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 November 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been changes to the governing body and staffing since the last inspection. The current headteacher took up their post in September 2014.  The school does not 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. 11 and 12 February 2025

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 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 met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and the assistant special educational needs coordinator. They also met with groups of staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the co-chairs. They also met with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their learning.

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 An inspector spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, they spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the online Ofsted staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Ben Jordan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Vaughan Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 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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