Parkside Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Parkside Community Primary School Aycliffe Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 4EP

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Outcome

Parkside Community Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At this school, pupils thrive in a safe, nurturing environment where they feel valued, supported and encouraged to achieve their best. They trust school staff and build strong relationships with them. As a result, pupils are happy and confident learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow the school rules and strive to meet the school’s high expectations. The ambitious curriculum engages them well, and pupils enjoy their learning. Early on they learn the important skills to help them to develop as fluent readers and creative writers. Pupils are enthusiastic learners, achieving well across subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum provides enriching experiences that support pupils’ well-being and personal development. The music assembly is a special moment, uniting every child in happy song. Carefully planned activities, such as trips to the cinema, museums and residential stays, build confidence and independence,

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respect the diverse cultures and religions within their school and community, fostering a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. They take pride in roles such as play leaders, showing responsibility and compassion. They support each other and discuss ideas to create a better world by tackling conflict and poverty. Pupils are reflective, motivated and well prepared for their next steps.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is engaging and accessible to all pupils. Mathematics and English are taught particularly well. 18 and 19 March 2025

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The school has designed a curriculum that places a strong emphasis on reading for all pupils. Early on, pupils develop a love of books. In Reception, children enjoy reading books outdoors during breaktimes. Older pupils speak enthusiastically about their favourite authors.

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In Nursery, children are introduced to sounds through skilled teaching that helps them connect and build on familiar words. In Reception, they begin to apply phonics in their writing, laying a strong foundation for their learning in all subjects. Adults reinforce sounds consistently through repetition, rhyme and carefully planned activities that support all areas of learning. As a result, children leave Reception well prepared for the demands of Year 1.

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As pupils progress through the school, they develop a rich and varied vocabulary. Teachers regularly check understanding and reinforce writing skills across the curriculum. This consistent approach enables pupils to apply key vocabulary, grammar and punctuation skills confidently in a range of subjects, strengthening their overall communication and writing.

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Pupils who need to catch up receive highly targeted and timely support. This tailored approach ensures that any pupils who struggle to learn to read catch up quickly, build confidence and become fluent, independent readers alongside their peers. As a result, pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified early and given the support they need to be successful. Staff are given the specific training, which helps pupils with SEND achieve well against their individual targets.

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In subjects beyond English and mathematics, the curriculum is carefully sequenced across the school. For example, in history, pupils progress from learning about Bonfire Night to studying monarchs and exploring events such as the Gunpowder Plot in greater depth. Similarly, in geography, pupils expand their knowledge from local areas to global contexts. This structured approach helps pupils build their learning on what they already know and remember, allowing them to recall and build on their learning successfully each year.

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Pupils are developing a secure understanding of important knowledge across most subjects. However, in a few subjects such as geography and history, teachers are not always clear about the subject-specific skills they want pupils to learn. In these instances, some pupils are not supported to develop the subject-specific skills that the ambitious curriculum aims to develop.

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Pupils behave well in and out of lessons. Staff work closely with families to improve attendance. This has successfully helped to ensure pupils attend school more regularly. The school monitors behaviour closely and communicates clear expectations to pupils and their families. This reinforces a culture of high standards. 18 and 19 March 2025

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The school enriches pupils’ experiences beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils enjoy diverse cultural opportunities, such as celebrating heritage through traditional dress, cultural foods and visits to places of worship, including the local synagogue. Pupils take part in diverse activities, from sports and Gaelic football to ukulele lessons, building confidence and teamwork. Roles such as school councillor develop leadership and responsibility. Events such as Mental Health Week and anti-racism workshops promote inclusion and well-being, helping pupils grow into confident, compassionate individuals.

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All staff are highly dedicated to the school and its pupils. They appreciate the support they receive from leaders and governors. The school knows what needs to improve and has clear strategies in place to secure further improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, such as geography and history, learning tasks sometimes lack a clear subject-specific focus, which limits some pupils’ ability to develop the subject-specific skills set out in the ambitious curriculum. The school should ensure that teachers have a secure understanding of the subject-specific skills in each subject so that learning activities consistently support pupils in acquiring these subject-specific skills.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour, or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately. 18 and 19 March 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2020.

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Emily Saunderson

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school manages its own before- and after-school childcare provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, teachers and support staff. The inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and spoke with the school improvement partner.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, she spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspector considered the views of parents and carers through the responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector considered the views of staff and pupils through meetings and informal discussions. She also considered the views of staff through their responses to Ofsted’s online survey.

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Inspection team

Cindy Impey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 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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