Bagthorpe Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 June 2025

Pupils are excited to come to this school. The school is ambitious for all pupils to do well. Recent changes to the curriculum have strengthened the school's educational offer. The school regularly seeks opportunities to place learning into a real context. This helps pupils to understand the purpose to what they are doing. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about how learning outside helps them understand key concepts. For example, pupils learn about the relationship between angles and how to work out the height of a tree. Central to the work of the school are the values of 'courage, determination, moral purpose, integrity, accountability, humility and compassion'. Pupils develop a deep understanding of the meaning of these values that guide them successfully in their actions. Pupils achieve well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and are ready for their next steps. Through a range of roles and responsibilities pupils learn how they can make a difference to others in the school and the wider community. Attendance monitors remind other pupils about the importance of coming to school regularly. School councillors demonstrate to their peers how to be respectful of others and to support one another. Pupils behave well at this school.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, recent changes to the school's approach to curriculum implementation are not embedded. Key knowledge identified in the curriculum is not made explicit enough in learning activities. This means that pupils, including pupils with SEND, do not remember essential knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers are explicit about the key knowledge they want pupils to learn and that task design supports intended learning so that pupils know more and remember more over time.
• The outdoor provision in early years offers a limited range of resources and activities for the children. As a result, children are not accessing meaningful learning in all seven areas of learning outdoors. Children are not making as much progress as they could. Leaders need to develop the outdoor provision so that resources and activities promote learning across the full early years curriculum.

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