Bunwell Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Bunwell Primary School sits at the heart of the local community. Pupils are rightly proud of their school's welcoming, kind and nurturing ethos. Pastoral support and pupils' well-being are high on the agenda.

Pupils feel listened to, well cared for and are confident any worries will be resolved quickly. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the difference the school makes to their children.

Pupils understand the school's values of 'ready, respectful and safe' and use these to guide their behaviour in lessons and during social times.

This begins in the early years, where children learn to be kind and to share. Staff respond calmly and sensitivel...y when pupils struggle with their emotions. This enables pupils to get back to their learning quickly.

As a result, pupils achieve well.

Pupils enjoy the wide range of experiences offered by the school. This includes sporting clubs and events, such as skateboarding and cross country.

They benefit from opportunities to develop their talents and interests. These include going on residential visits and performing in shows and concerts. Pupils learn about fundamental British values, such as democracy and tolerance.

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

The trust has designed an ambitious curriculum adopted by the school. It has ensured that pupils in mixed-age classes learn important content in a logical order. The knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to know and remember have been identified in all subjects.

This helps pupils build their knowledge well in most subjects. For example, in science, pupils use their prior learning about electricity to construct diagrams of simple electrical circuits. Sometimes the checks made by teachers on what pupils know and remember are not secure across all subjects.

At times, staff do not address pupils' misconceptions and correct errors in their work. This results in some pupils not learning as well as they could.

Staff have strong subject knowledge.

Most use appropriate activities to support pupils' learning of the curriculum as they progress through school. On occasions, however, teachers do not select activities that precisely match the learning they want pupils to know and remember. This can hinder pupils' progress through the curriculum.

The school places a high priority on ensuring that pupils learn to read fluently. Children in the early years quickly learn how to use the sounds they know in order to read words. There is a systematic approach to teaching phonics.

Staff check pupils' understanding regularly. Extra support is put in place for those who need it. Teachers read to pupils from carefully chosen books.

As pupils progress through the school they read with increasing fluency and confidence. This is reflected in the Year 6 national reading test where pupils achieve well.

The school is ambitious for each pupil.

It has clear processes to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Teachers make careful adaptations to teaching to support pupils with SEND. The school works proactively with external professionals to seek any guidance needed.

Pupils with SEND are well supported to successfully learn the curriculum.

The school's expectations and routines for pupils' behaviour are clear. Pupils are encouraged to make positive choices and manage their own behaviour.

There are spaces for pupils around the school for those who need additional support to manage their feelings or need time to reflect.

The provision for pupils' personal development is well considered. Pupils develop an understanding of their place in society and the wider world.

Pupils develop an awareness of how people can be different. They understand that this is something to be respected and celebrated. They describe how texts such as 'The Boy at the Back of the Classroom' help them understand what life is like for refugees.

Pupils learn about friendships; healthy relationships, at an age-appropriate level; body changes and keeping healthy.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They welcome the support and consideration by leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

They enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from other schools in the trust. Governors and trustees are well informed about the school's strengths and priorities. They use this knowledge to provide effective challenge and support, and to set the strategic vision for the school.

While the current staffing restructure across the three trust schools is unsettling for staff, pupils and parents, there are plans in place to manage the transition and allay concerns.

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 checked effectively how well pupils remember the knowledge they have been taught.

Pupils' misconceptions sometimes go unchallenged. As a result, pupils' recall of some prior learning can be patchy. The school needs to ensure that staff use their checks on what pupils know and remember effectively across all subjects to address pupils' misconceptions.

• Learning activities do not always help pupils build on what they already know. This can hinder some pupils' progress through the curriculum. The school should ensure that the curriculum is being delivered consistently well, so that all pupils can know and remember the key knowledge identified in each subject.