Bisham Church of England Academy

Bisham Church of England Academy

Address: Church Lane, Bisham, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 1RW Unique reference number (URN): 144249

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations and rightly prioritise attendance. They analyse information carefully to identify patterns and trends. Systems for monitoring and following up absence are robust. Current attendance is broadly in line with national averages, with improving trends for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders intervene early, remove barriers and work openly with families. They work with the local authority and external agencies to secure support when needed. Leaders’ personalised strategies, including pastoral support and targeted interventions, are having a positive impact on individual pupils.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils behave well across the school. They understand and follow the high expectations set by staff. There are clear routines in place. Pupils are not distracted and remain focused on their learning. Staff apply the behaviour policy consistently and adapt approaches appropriately for pupils with SEND. Pupils feel safe and trust staff to respond to concerns, including bullying. Leaders act swiftly and proportionately when incidents occur. They work closely with pupils and families to prevent recurrence. Warm and supportive relationships help pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and conduct themselves well.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have created an inclusive culture where pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those known, or previously known, to children’s social care are identified quickly. Staff know pupils and their families well, and leaders ensure that pupils’ emerging or changing needs are assessed accurately. This helps staff to understand the barriers pupils may face. Leaders rightly emphasise that inclusive teaching benefits all pupils. Adult support and adaptations are often used, although in some parts of the curriculum this could be strengthened.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders aim to reduce barriers to learning through strategic support, reasonable adjustments and individualised approaches. Tailored interventions, specialist advice and the internal ‘Lily Pad’ provision are used well to help pupils to access the curriculum and develop greater independence. Leaders work closely with external professionals and with families to shape support.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders monitor the impact of interventions carefully. They check pupils’ progress from their starting points and make timely changes. Staff receive relevant training and value the guidance provided. Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to improve learning and wellbeing. The use of any alternative provision is appropriate, and the suitability is monitored closely.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have established and sustained a clear ethos and strategic direction for the school. They understand the school’s context, strengths and areas for development and have identified the right improvement priorities. Leaders’ actions are appropriate and informed by an accurate evaluation of the school. They model high expectations and professionalism effectively. Leaders focus on ensuring that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive the education and care they need.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders use the support and expertise of the trust, local authority and diocese well. Professional development is prioritised for all staff, including early career teachers. A coherent programme of training builds staff expertise. However, the impact of some developments is not yet evident. Leaders consider staff workload and wellbeing carefully, ensuring staff feel valued. They promote positive relationships across the school community.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors and trustees fulfil their statutory responsibilities effectively. They understand the school’s priorities and hold leaders to account for the quality of education for all pupils. Governors and trustees are very knowledgeable. Monitoring is well organised. They balance support and challenge appropriately to drive continued improvement. They ensure financial decisions, including the use of additional funding, have a positive impact on pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders act in the best interests of all pupils. They promote an inclusive culture in which all pupils are cared for, supported and prepared for the next stage of their education. Leaders’ actions are effectively addressing the areas that need to improve.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development and wellbeing. They provide a broad programme that reflects the school’s context and supports pupils to be prepared for later life. The curriculum, wider experiences and pastoral support reinforce one another well.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. They understand the difference between right and wrong and engage thoughtfully during discussions and debates. Pupils contribute positively to their school and wider community. They help through opportunities such as charity work, community projects and leadership roles in school. Pupils value these roles and take them seriously, particularly the school council, green team, collective worship and wellbeing ambassadors.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal development programme supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Through collective worship, religious education and trust-wide initiatives, pupils learn to reflect on their beliefs, appreciate cultural diversity and develop cooperation and conflict resolution skills. While pupils show respect for others and understand protected characteristics, some struggle to recall key knowledge about different faiths and aspects of British values. Leaders recognise this and are refining the curriculum to deepen pupils’ understanding.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

All pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, access a wide range of clubs and wider experiences. Leaders track participation carefully and remove barriers where needed, including through lunchtime clubs and financial support. This enables all pupils to develop their interests and talents while attending the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The curriculum is age-appropriate and meets statutory requirements. Pupils know about personal boundaries and strategies for resolving disagreements. They learn how to maintain

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Needs attention

their physical and mental health and understand what constitutes healthy relationships. Staff are vigilant and know pupils’ needs and circumstances. The pastoral offer, including targeted support, is therefore well matched. Leaders review the impact of this support regularly and ensure pupils know how to access help when needed.

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Achievement Needs attention

A significant number of pupils do not yet secure the essential knowledge they need in reading, writing and mathematics. Outcomes in the phonics screening check and in grammar, punctuation and spelling have been significantly below average for the past 3 years. Leaders’ actions to address this are appropriate. The school’s phonics programme is now well embedded, meaning most pupils reach the expected standard in reading by the end of key stage 1. However, gaps in spelling, handwriting and grammar remain and are not closing quickly enough.

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Achievement Needs attention

These gaps affect the quality of work produced in some subjects. In the wider curriculum, pupils recall facts and discuss topics they have studied, but their understanding sometimes lacks the necessary depth. Disadvantaged pupils typically achieve well, with outcomes above national figures. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and others with barriers to learning, usually make suitable progress from their starting points.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum is not delivered consistently well across the school. Teaching does not ensure that all pupils are given the resources they need to access learning successfully. Leaders are addressing this through further training so that adaptations are used consistently well.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum is suitably broad and ambitious. Working with the trust, leaders have developed a curriculum that identifies the key knowledge pupils need to know and remember at each key stage. The curriculum is organised logically so that pupils can build knowledge over time, including how this works in mixed-age classes.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders provide staff with appropriate training and support. They recognise that further expertise is needed to ensure the curriculum is delivered consistently well across subjects and key stages. Pupils are given opportunities to practise essential skills such as transcription, and leaders have introduced a new handwriting scheme to strengthen this.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Typically, staff share a common understanding of the curriculum and follow agreed approaches. Phonics is taught consistently, and pupils benefit from accessing high-quality texts. Teachers check understanding regularly. However, assessment is not always used effectively to inform teaching or address gaps in knowledge and skills quickly enough. In most subjects, pupils can recall key knowledge and develop vocabulary effectively.

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Early years Needs attention

The early years curriculum is not delivered consistently well. While staff know children and their families well and routines are well established, activities do not always have clear learning intentions. Assessment is used to identify gaps in children’s development, but this information is not used precisely enough to inform planning and activities within the provision. This means opportunities to address these gaps are sometimes missed. The outdoor provision is too broad and not precise enough. This means activities are not always tailored to children’s individual needs and limits opportunities for constructive adult-child interactions to take place.

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Early years Needs attention

Early reading and vocabulary development are prioritised. The phonics programme is well sequenced, and most children use their phonics knowledge to read with increasing accuracy by the end of Reception. Supporting resources are available indoors and outdoors, although these are not always used to best effect. Most children achieve a good level of development and are generally prepared for Year 1.

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Early years Needs attention

Staff support children’s personal, social and emotional development effectively, helping them feel safe, settled and increasingly independent. Leaders have an accurate understanding of strengths and areas for improvement and are taking appropriate steps, such as drawing upon trust expertise. However, planned improvements are not yet embedded.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are proud to belong to Bisham Church of England Academy and value the warm, caring relationships they have with staff. They speak positively about the school’s vision of ‘encouraging one another and building each other up’. Pupils understand the importance of being respectful, responsible and safe. Pupils take pride in contributing to school life and value the vast number of roles and responsibilities they can take on. Social times are calm and friendly, with pupils organising games and playing cooperatively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy their learning. They engage with a rich curriculum, although some pupils are in need of more support, for example in addressing gaps in their knowledge. Pupils appreciate the range of experiences that broaden their understanding of the world. Educational visits enrich learning, and these include trips to places such as Hooke Court and Hampton Court Palace. Many take part in the wide range of clubs, including sports, outdoor club, cooking and chess. These opportunities help pupils to feel a sense of belonging and further develop their interests and talents.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite, kind and considerate towards each other. Relationships between pupils and staff are positive and supportive. Pupils say that bullying does not happen here. They know that adults will listen and act if they have any worries. Pupils can access additional support when needed to help overcome challenges and develop confidence. In addition, they learn how to keep themselves safe, including online, through a well-planned curriculum. As a result, pupils are happy and want to attend school. Pupils are tolerant of differences and these are celebrated. They develop empathy and treat everyone the same. They understand the importance of right and wrong. Pupils contribute actively to the wider community. They take part in charity projects, church services, trust and local events. These experiences, for example swan upping, help pupils to develop the

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

knowledge they need to be responsible citizens.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that teachers use adaptations consistently and provide the appropriate resources so that all pupils access the curriculum successfully and learn well. Leaders should refine the early years outdoor provision so that activities are more precisely matched to children’s developmental needs and consistently promote purposeful learning across all areas of development. Leaders should ensure that assessment is used effectively to identify pupils’ gaps in knowledge so that these can be addressed quickly. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum for writing, and how it is taught, supports pupils to achieve consistently well in handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Ashley Hill Multi Academy 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), Isabel Cooke, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Clive Haines.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other senior leaders during the inspection. They also met with the chair of trustees, governing body, governance professionals as well as the CEO and members of the trust improvement team.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with several pupils, staff, parents and carers. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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About this inspection

The school is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxford. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in October 2024.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school: The school makes use of one alternative provision, which is unregistered.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 55% 62% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 56% 61% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 75% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 69% 72% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 70% 71% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 75% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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gap

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 5.1% 5.5% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 5.5% 5.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 11.5% 14.6% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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