Bugthorpe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Controlled Primary School

Address: Bugthorpe, York, North Yorkshire, YO41 1QQ Unique reference number (URN): 118000

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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

Pupils here are delightful. They are kind to one another and respectful of everyone in the school community. Their behaviour is a significant strength. Pupils enjoy their learning. They follow the school rules of being ready, respectful and safe. In classrooms, they focus on their learning. They are sensible around school and they enjoy the spectacular outdoor environment at playtimes.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Sanctions are barely needed. Just a quick reminder of the school rules is enough for the vast majority of pupils. Stickers and celebration assemblies are used to underline the importance of positive behaviour. The headteacher’s award and the cup of kindness are sought after by pupils. Unkind words and bullying are rare. Teachers help pupils to sort out any misunderstandings. Pupils accept difference and discrimination is not present at school.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils who struggle to follow the rules are given the support they need. The support for these pupils is very well considered and effective.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils are keen to attend school. They enjoy being here and are proud of Bugthorpe. They attend regularly and often. Rates of attendance are similar to those found nationally. Few pupils are persistently absent. Leaders support individual families with attendance as required.

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Early years Expected standard

Teaching is purposeful in early years. Staff model language well. They think carefully about the language they use when speaking with children, in order to develop their spoken English. They listen attentively to children and ask them probing questions and choose new vocabulary wisely. Phonics is well taught. Children develop their reading skills well and enjoy their learning.

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Early years Expected standard

The outdoor environment is stunning. Children benefit from activities planned for them outside.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of education in early years. The curriculum is broad and well considered. For example, leaders are currently and appropriately focusing on further developing handwriting. Children learn how to play together and learn together. They take turns, help each other and speak with kindness. Most children leave Reception ready for Year 1, both socially and academically.

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Early years Expected standard

Children are well cared for and safe in the provision. They benefit from high-quality support. Relationships with families are strong. This helps staff to know the needs and interests of individual children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are quickly identified and appropriate additional support is put in place if needed.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Inclusion has a high priority at school. A good proportion of the professional learning programme for staff is used to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils are well served. For example, the recent focus on supporting pupils with autism is helping staff to support these pupils.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities quickly. They work with parents, carers and external specialists effectively. Even before children start in the early years, leaders make sure that they know their specific needs. In classrooms, adults generally use well-chosen strategies to help individual pupils.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff provide effective pastoral support for pupils with social and emotional needs. Pupils value access to emotional literacy programmes. These help pupils to build their confidence and self-esteem.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders make sure that additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is spent carefully. It ensures that disadvantaged pupils enjoy the same experiences as others. Leaders are also working on helping disadvantaged pupils to develop their writing skills. This is having a positive impact.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Being a small school, leaders know pupils and families very well. Over time, the school has effectively supported service families and children known (or previously known) to social care.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders place a high priority on pupils’ personal development. Enrichment opportunities are woven through the curriculum. Staff know the needs and interests of pupils at school. Any pastoral support that pupils need is available and effective.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

‘Team challenge days’ help pupils to socialise and develop empathy. Here, each of the teams at school, grasshoppers, bumble bees, dragonflies and ladybirds, work together in mixed-age groups. Pupils from upper school help children from early years in competitions. Recently, pupils focused on their understanding of mental health, for example.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Trips and visits are planned so that pupils widen their experience of life in Britain. The London visit is well received by pupils. Clubs are available spanning the arts and sport. Older pupils can ask to run their own clubs. They seek the views of others in doing so. The tractor colouring club was one such development. Leaders shape activities on offer so that all pupils, including those who are vulnerable, develop socially as well as academically.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The outdoor world is a focus of the school. Gardening and pottery form part of the taught curriculum. Pupils grow vegetables in the poly tunnel and on the allotment that each class is responsible for. Their enterprise skills are practised when selling the produce to parents, carers and the local community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils’ spiritual growth is strong. They learn to reflect on their own beliefs and experiences and to respect others’ values. Pupils develop a clear moral compass while at school.

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Needs attention

Leaders have designed a personal, social and health education programme that is broad, age-appropriate and carefully structured. This includes relationship education.

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Needs attention

Pupils know that fundamental British values aim to create a fair and just society. They know that discrimination is wrong. They develop leadership skills through being sports leaders, eco-warriors and ‘leading lights’.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils produce some interesting and lengthy writing for different purposes and on different themes. However, pupils’ work is sometimes let down because some have not mastered the basics. Some pupils have weaknesses in their handwriting, spelling and basic grammar. This important knowledge is not developed fully by the end of Year 4.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils read well. They attain well in the phonics screening check and use their phonics knowledge to read new words. By the end of Year 6, most pupils do well in national tests and assessments. This includes mathematics. However, too few reach the higher standard in writing currently. This is because there is too much to catch up in Years 5 and 6. Disadvantaged pupils make suitable progress.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils generally gain the knowledge and skills they need in other subjects such as history, geography and design technology. They develop a suitable understanding of subject specific vocabulary.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The quality of teaching is too variable across the school. Where teaching is effective, teachers present material with clarity. They keenly watch the progress that pupils make and ask probing questions. Teachers are agile in shaping the lesson according to how well pupils are doing. This is not consistently the case. Specifically, gaps in pupils' knowledge of the basics are not routinely identified and plugged. This includes spelling, basic grammar and handwriting.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The wider curriculum is broad and well designed. Curriculums generally build pupils’ knowledge and skills step-by-step. Topics start with a key question designed to spark the interests of pupils, such as ‘How do we energise our homes and country?’ which covers aspects of electricity and geography. Leaders know what is working well and what needs further attention. A new writing programme has been introduced, for example, and it continues to be refined.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Adults know the requirements of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For those with the greatest level of need, adults help them access the same content as others. They break down tasks further to help these pupils succeed. Reading and phonics are well taught. The phonics programme is developing pupils' fluency and comprehension. Leaders promote reading well.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

A lack of capacity in the past has hindered the rate of school improvement. Firm plans are now in place to bolster leadership. Changes have been made to staffing across the federation. Over time, some improvements that have been needed have been addressed too slowly.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Nonetheless, leaders have created a school where all are welcome. Each pupil is known as an individual. Their social and emotional needs are met. Pupils here ‘follow their pathway and grow in confidence’. Leaders have made sure that there are excellent relationships with parents, carers and the local community.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders know the school’s strengths and priorities. For example, there has been a focus on writing, and this aspect of provision is developing well. Leaders know where there is work still to do.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Those responsible for governance meet their statutory duties effectively. They have reviewed their systems and processes so that the data and information that they receive is now more precise. Monitoring systems are in place but some are new. This is helping governors to bring more effective challenge to leaders. More recently, governors have ensured that there is increased leadership capacity at school.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff access an appropriate professional learning programme. Recent work on supporting pupils with autism has been effective. Adults help these pupils overcome barriers. Research on helping disadvantaged pupils develop their writing is reaping rewards.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders are mindful of staff workload and wellbeing. The views of staff and parents about the school are very positive indeed. Leaders have ensured that pupils are safe and happy in this family-like school.

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

This is a school where pupils are cherished. Pupils are happy, safe, kind and respectful. Pupils and staff follow their pathway and grow with confidence. Pupils' pastoral and emotional needs are addressed. Parents are exceptionally positive about the school. Everyone knows each other, cares for each other and wants the best for the pupils here.

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

Pupils behave well. Unkind words are rare. If ever pupils fall out with each other, staff help them to patch up any differences. Discriminatory language is hardly ever heard. In lessons, pupils focus on the task in hand, in the main.

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

Leaders have a heart for the most vulnerable. As such, there is a focus on supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These pupils’ needs are addressed. Staff know any additional pressures that pupils and families are facing and provide them with effective support.

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

Pupils benefit considerably from the fact that leaders have prioritised their personal development and wellbeing. Pupils' experiences of school life are enriched by activities such as the team challenge days, trips, visits and clubs. There is a focus on the natural world. Gardening, growing vegetables, allotments and the poly tunnel are central to school life. Pupils gain plenty from the leadership opportunities available to them. Leaders want pupils and staff to flourish.

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

Those responsible for governance have increased leadership capacity recently. This is because over time some improvements have been too slow. As a result, the quality of teaching is currently too variable. Pupils' knowledge of the basics, including spelling, handwriting and basic grammar, has not been as secure as required. Leaders know this. Work is already underway to remedy these weaknesses. Nonetheless, by the time pupils leave school, their attainment in tests and assessments is in line with national averages. Pupils leave ready, emotionally and academically for secondary school.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that teachers fully support pupils to secure their foundational knowledge and that high standards are sustained across the school. Leaders should continue to support pupils when writing at length with accuracy and precision. This is so that they develop their skills across their time in school, thus ensuring that more pupils reach the higher standard in external tests. Those responsible for governance should ensure that the increased leadership capacity has a positive impact on the quality of education and the rate of improvement. This includes the continued use of data and refinement of monitoring processes.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Dan Simmons.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a federation called Bugthorpe and Sutton upon Derwent C of E Federation.

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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 HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the executive headteacher, those responsible for governance including the chair of governors, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, a representative from the diocese and a representative from the local authority during the inspection.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 23 June 2026

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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?

Inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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What does this mean?

This school is registered as having a Church of England religious character. It is in the Diocese of York. Its last section 48 inspection was in October 2023.

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What does this mean?

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

Executive headteacher : Bracken Holtby 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 6 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 needs support 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 (final) 57% 62% 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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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

2024/25 (final) 71% 72% 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

‘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) 5.0% 5.5% 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

2024/25 (3 term) 11.7% 13.0% 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. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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