The Butts Primary School

Inspection of The Butts Primary School Bolle Road, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1PW

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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 Good 11 and 12 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is full of happy pupils who are proud of their achievements. They embrace the school’s values in the way they show curiosity, resilience and respect. Pupils are confident and articulate in their interactions. They benefit from their strong relationships with school staff, which means they feel safe and well-cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations of their behaviour and academic outcomes. They enjoy their learning and contribute well to discussions. Opportunities such as buddy reading help them to build friendships across year groups. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum and are prepared for their next educational steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy meeting visitors to the school in their weekly assemblies. These encounters help them to build their aspirations and to understand how their education contributes to future employment opportunities. Visits to the town library and a local care home develop their community awareness. Pupils appreciate the wide offer of extra-curricular clubs, which allow them to develop their talents and interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers praise the school’s communications. They receive comprehensive information about what and how well their children are learning. Well-considered transition procedures allow early years children to settle quickly as part of the Butts school family.

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

The school has high ambition for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The governing body has a clear strategic understanding of the school. Members have robust processes to check the school’s actions in relation to its strategic priorities. Staff feel well supported in terms of their workload and well-being.

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

Teaching staff know pupils’ needs well and appropriately adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND to allow them to be successful with their learning. Pupils experience an interesting curriculum which prepares them well for their next steps. From the start of early years, the curriculum is shaped carefully around pupils’ interests as well as developing their understanding of the world beyond Alton.

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

Pupils read with fluency and confidence. They enjoy the diverse range of books which they encounter through the curriculum. The school’s successful reading journey begins in early years, where children learn letter sounds. They break down words to read and then apply this phonetics skill in their independent writing. Across the school, staff are trained well to teach reading and, as a result, use a consistent approach. Pupils benefit from these familiar routines. They join in with actions and rhymes and use classroom displays and resources to remind them about their current learning. Pupils who need extra help receive focused support, which allows them to catch up quickly.

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

In lessons, teachers use their questioning skills to check carefully what pupils know and remember. Regular recaps of previous learning mean pupils make links within and across 11 and 12 March 2025

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subjects. Pupils have opportunities to reflect on and evaluate their learning. They know when they have been successful and can identify what they need to improve. Pupils show resilience in their learning. They understand that making mistakes and addressing them is part of an ongoing learning process.

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Teachers are supported well by the school’s subject leaders. This means that they have the subject knowledge they need. Pupils have a strong understanding of subject-specific vocabulary and terminology. This is because teachers model it in lessons and make sure that pupils understand what it means. In some subjects, it is clear what pupils have learned and what gaps and misconceptions should be addressed. However, there are some subjects where this is not the case. Consequently, leaders do not have the precise information they need to determine how effective these aspects of the curriculum are and how well pupils are achieving.

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The school promotes a calm and nurturing culture. Pupils behave well in their lessons, where they are attentive and motivated learners. They know the school’s rules to be ready, respectful and safe, and, therefore, what is expected of them. At lunchtime, pupils enjoy the vast array of activities available to them. They show respect for the environment and take care of equipment. The school’s ‘Zen Den’ allows pupils the option of a calm, indoor space where they read books or complete colouring and craft activities.

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The school ensures that pupils have an impressive understanding of diversity and difference. Pupils show empathy to others. They know what the terms equality and equity mean and why they matter. They understand democratic processes through the election of pupils to positions of responsibility such as house captains and positions on the eco- committee. Pupils make thoughtful comparisons about life in Britain and current events across the world. They are well-informed and show respect for differing views and opinions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school does not have a clear picture of how well pupils learn the intended curriculum. This means that any gaps in pupils’ understanding are not fully known and addressed. The school should continue supporting subject leaders in identifying which information can be used to inform teaching so pupils get the support they need to accumulate the intended knowledge and skills.

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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 11 and 12 March 2025

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when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school uses three unregistered alternative provisions.

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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.  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 inspection team met with school leaders as well as representatives from the local 11 and 12 March 2025

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authority and the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art, history and science. 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.  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 analysed responses to the Ofsted staff survey and spoke to staff about their views of the school.  The inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the additional free-text responses. An inspector also spoke

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with parents in the morning of the first day of the inspection.  The inspectors evaluated responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Kate Fripp, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Jackson Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 March 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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