Bolham Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Bolham Community Primary School Bolham, Tiverton, Devon EX16 7RA

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Sarah Milne. This school is part of Harbour Schools 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), Gary Chown, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sean Mackney.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a caring and welcoming school. Pupils are happy. They enjoy coming to school and they attend well. Pupils help each other in and outside of classrooms. Year 6 ‘buddies’ support children in the Reception Year to enjoy school and understand routines and expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a caring and positive environment. Pupils feel safe. They have strong relationships with staff. Pupils willingly accept help from staff to settle into the school day and to persevere with their work. Pupils talk to staff if they have any problems, and they receive effective help to manage their feelings.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school demonstrates its ethos of ‘together we aspire, together we achieve’ through the shared ambition that it has for pupils’ learning and personal development. Pupils get the help they need to build their knowledge across the curriculum. Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. The house reward system motivates pupils, and they follow the school rules well. Pupils move around the building in a calm and orderly manner. They are polite to adults and each other. Pupils work hard in lessons and engage well with their learning. 29 April 2025

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

The curriculum is designed in a clear and logical order. It outlines the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn. The curriculum supports pupils in the mixed-age classes to build and secure their knowledge year on year. The early years curriculum is well organised. It prepares children well for their future learning in Year 1 and beyond.

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

Teachers typically deliver the intended curriculum well. They present information and ideas clearly. They check understanding. Most pupils recall key knowledge across the curriculum. For example, pupils describe the countries and continents of the British Empire and link this information to their learning about the Victorian era. In art, pupils explain how they take inspiration from Claude Monet’s work to create impressions of movement at different times of the day.

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

The school identifies and understands the needs and barriers that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have. The school adapts work and provides resources to support these pupils to learn well. However, sometimes, the learning activities which pupils are given do not help them to deepen their knowledge and understanding. When this happens, it sometimes affects how well pupils build and extend their knowledge.

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

Reading is a priority from the start of the Reception Year. The phonics curriculum supports children to build their knowledge of sounds and words. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind get the support they need to build their reading fluency and confidence. They read often to staff who are expert at helping them to apply their phonics knowledge to the books they read.

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

There is a carefully planned curriculum for personal, social and health education. Throughout the school, including in the early years, pupils learn in an age-appropriate way, about themes such as keeping safe. Pupils build up their understanding of feelings and emotions and older pupils explore more complex themes such as jealousy.

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

Through their leadership roles, pupils make a difference to the school. They lead lunchtime activities, and this helps everyone to have a happy playtime. Pupils build a sense of responsibility for the community beyond their school. Eco councillors promote environmental awareness by developing an area of land and planting trees in the local community orchard. Pupils take part in Remembrance Day services. They raise money for national charities. These activities help pupils to become active and caring citizens.

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

The school exposes pupils to a wide range of cultures and places. Pupils study diverse texts and they visit larger towns and cities to build their understanding of the world outside of the school. As a result, pupils learn to reflect on the lives of others. They value and celebrate difference and are respectful towards each other. Pupils behave well. They respond well to instructions. Most pupils focus well during lessons and there is no disruption to learning. 29 April 2025

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Staff value the professional development they receive which helps them to develop their curriculum expertise. The trust is knowledgeable of the school’s strengths and next steps. It provides timely support to ensure that the school continually develops all aspects of its work. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They value its welcoming environment and its warm community feel.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the activities which pupils are given do not help them to learn the intended curriculum as well as they could. This affects how well some pupils deepen their knowledge and understanding. The school should ensure that, where this is the case, learning activities are well considered to enable pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding.

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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 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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Bolham Community Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2015. 29 April 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). 29 April 2025

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School details

Website www.tiverton-bolham-primary.devon.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The headteacher joined the school in September 2022.  The school is part of Harbour Schools Partnership. Prior to joining the trust in April 2025, the school was formerly part of a different multi-academy trust.  Bolham Community Primary School converted to become and academy school in July 2022. When its predecessor school, Bolham Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 29 April 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 held meetings with the headteacher, other leaders and staff.  An inspector met with the CEO, the chair of trustees and the chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning, heard pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Caroline Musty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Forster Ofsted Inspector 29 April 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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