Bonsall CofE (A) Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 July 2024

Most pupils love coming to school and arrive on time. Pupils of all ages get on well with each other. They like sitting with their 'family' to share lunch and playing together outside. The oldest pupils organise activities for their younger peers to enjoy. Strong relationships help pupils feel included and well looked after. Staff model good behaviour and most pupils follow their example. Pupils know they should always try their best. They like being rewarded with 'WOW whales' when they do a good job. Pupils usually settle well to their learning, although they occasionally get distracted from the task in hand. They understand that they will lose a behaviour point if they misbehave. Pupils make a significant contribution to the local community. Their pictures are displayed as part of the local arts trail. They decorate the porch at the nearby church to mark Remembrance Day. Pupils in Year 6 share experiences with local elderly residents and write articles for the village magazine. These activities show pupils how their actions can make a positive difference. A longstanding link with a school in London gives pupils a valuable opportunity to learn about other people's lives and experiences and how this compares to their own.

What the school should improve

• In a few foundation subjects, the progression of knowledge and skills between topics is not sufficiently clear. In these subjects, pupils cannot always make links between new information they learn and what has gone before. The school needs to make sure that, in each foundation subject, the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn is defined clearly and builds on what pupils already know.
• Teachers do not always consider the needs of pupils carefully enough when planning learning, particularly in key stage 2. For some pupils in these classes, the work is sometimes not sufficiently demanding. The school should make sure that the curriculum is appropriately ambitious for all pupils.
• Governors are committed to their roles. However, their oversight of the provision is not always strategic enough. Their hands-on approach means that they sometimes miss the bigger picture. The school needs to ensure that governors understand their role in holding the school closely to account for its work.

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