Bloxham Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school. Staff know each pupil well. This helps pupils to feel safe, cared for and ready to learn.

Pupils live out the school's values of 'inclusive, caring, ambitious, trustworthy, creative and honest'. These values are central to how pupils interact with each other and how they feel about themselves. Pupils are highly respectful of each other.

They consider the feelings of others and take pride in helping younger children to play.

The school is determined for pupils to achieve well. Children in Reception Year benefit from expert support to develop strong vocabulary and early number skills.

In the rest of the school, pupils do n...ot learn as well as they should. They are not consistently taught to use and to remember key knowledge over time.

Pupils benefit from an extensive range of opportunities to understand the world around them and the local area.

They learn how they can make a difference in the school as members of the 'Pupil Parliament', librarians and many other leadership roles. Pupils are proud to help the wider community, such as by raising money for local charities and visiting a local care home. They develop into mature and respectful young people.

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

The school has made significant improvements to the early years provision. Children get off to a strong start. The early years curriculum is designed and sequenced well.

Staff have a sharp focus on developing children's communication, language and social skills. Children are curious, excited to learn and they follow routines with maturity. They are prepared well for key stage 1.

Staff are ambitious for all pupils. However, the school's actions to improve the curriculum have not achieved this ambition consistently and effectively. In many subjects, the knowledge that pupils need to learn has not been identified clearly.

This means that staff do not consistently connect new knowledge to prior learning effectively. Therefore, although pupils recall what they have been taught recently, they struggle to remember what they have been taught before.

The school swiftly identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff provide effective support for pupils, who struggle to manage their emotions. They skilfully help pupils to return to their learning as soon as they can.

Staff have secure subject knowledge.

They explain and model learning clearly. At times, however, lesson activities do not give pupils the opportunity to deepen their understanding. Equally, sometimes, activities are not adapted sufficiently to ensure that pupils with SEND develop knowledge securely.

Pupils too often remember the activities they complete without remembering the key knowledge that they were expected to learn.

Reading is at the heart of the school's curriculum. Pupils develop a love of reading.

They learn to read fluently. Phonics is taught well. Staff check the sounds that pupils know precisely.

Pupils who need extra support with reading are identified swiftly. Staff then help pupils to catch up quickly. In other subjects, staff do not check pupils' understanding systematically and address misconceptions as effectively as they should.

This means that too often pupils continue to make mistakes in their work, which hinders their progress through the curriculum.

The school has established clear routines to help pupils to behave well. These routines are linked to the values of the school that are understood by all staff and pupils.

Consequently, pupils have positive attitudes to learning and they work hard. Pupils' attendance has improved significantly in recent years. The school quickly identifies those pupils who need extra help to attend frequently.

These pupils and families then have highly effective support to address barriers to attendance.

Pupils' personal development is a strength of the school. The school is highly inclusive, ensuring equal access to all opportunities.

Pupils are prepared well for each next step. They develop a deep knowledge of online safety. Pupils know how to keep mentally and physically healthy, and when to ask for help.

They learn to debate and discuss difficult concepts. Pupils listen to and respect the views of others. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

Governors know the school's strengths and areas for development. They work closely with the school and have increasingly positive impact. Staff are proud to work at the school.

They feel valued and supported in their roles. Staff are committed to working in this school as it builds on the recent improvements. They know that the school's decisions focus unwaveringly on the best interests of pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the school has not sufficiently identified the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that the new knowledge that pupils are taught is not consistently connected to what pupils already know.

The school should ensure that it finalises its curriculum to identify specifically what pupils should learn, and when, so that pupils can remember more and achieve more highly. ? Sometimes, activity choices are not designed to focus on the knowledge that pupils need to know or practise using. At times, these activities are also not appropriately adapted to remove barriers to learning for pupils with SEND.

This means that some pupils do not build their knowledge or understanding as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff design and adapt activities appropriately, so that these consistently support pupils, including those with SEND, to develop knowledge securely. In several subjects, assessment is not sufficiently developed.

This means that staff do not consistently check what pupils have learned and can remember. Pupils' gaps in knowledge or misconceptions are, therefore, not identified and addressed quickly or systematically enough. The school should ensure that there are clear systems in place for staff to check pupils' knowledge and then adapt learning so that pupils achieve well.

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