Bentley New Village Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 October 2024

The school has created an environment where pupils feel safe. There are warm, positive relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils trust adults to help them. Pupils enjoy coming to school. However, the school's ambitions for its pupils are not reflected in how well pupils achieve. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school ensures that pupils who need help with behaviour receive it. Adults provide skilful support to these pupils. This helps pupils to recognise and control their emotions. Staff help pupils, including children in the early years, to follow clear routines about how to behave in classrooms and how to move around school calmly. Children in the early years develop positive attitudes to their learning. However, the curriculum in the early years does not prepare some children for key stage 1 as well as it should. Pupils benefit from a broad range of experiences beyond their classrooms. For example, the school gives pupils the opportunity to support a range of charities. These experiences help pupils to develop a strong moral compass. Pupils are alert to different groups of people in society who may face discrimination. Pupils are eager future citizens of the world.

What the school should improve

• The school's phonics curriculum is not delivered consistently well. As a result, some pupils, including some who are in Reception, do not catch up with their peers and become fluent readers. The school should ensure that it identifies and addresses where staff need more support to teach the agreed phonics approach consistently.
• The early years curriculum is not clearly defined. This means that some children are not prepared as well as they should be for their future learning. The school should ensure that the knowledge and vocabulary that children should learn in early years is clearly identified and delivered.
• The school has not identified the most important knowledge it wishes pupils to learn in some foundation subjects. This results in staff making activity choices that do not help pupils build their knowledge over time. The school should ensure that the key knowledge that pupils should be taught in foundation subjects is clearly identified and understood by staff.
• The school does not have a clear view of the gaps in knowledge that some pupils, including those with SEND, have in subjects such as reading and mathematics. These pupils do not receive the support that they need to catch up with their peers. The school should ensure that leaders and staff use assessment to understand and address where pupils are behind in the curriculum.
• The school has not ensured that leaders at all levels evaluate the impact of their actions on how well pupils are achieving in the curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should in some subjects. The school should ensure that leaders at all levels routinely evaluate how well their actions are improving educational outcomes for pupils.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)