Buckstones Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

Buckstones is a happy school where everyone is welcome. From the start of the Reception Year, children and pupils learn how to look after themselves and each other. Pupils enjoy authentic and respectful relationships with other pupils and staff. They feel comfortable being themselves and everyone is valued. Pupils benefit from an exemplary focus on maintaining health and well-being. The pupil 'well-being champions' play a pivotal role in ensuring that everyone feels included. Staff have high expectations of the learning, conduct and wider development of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils typically relish the opportunity to live up to these high hopes. They work hard and their behaviour is often very good. Pupils are fully involved in all aspects of school life. They immerse themselves in an exceptional range of enrichment opportunities. These include musical and sporting clubs, and visits to farms, art galleries and outdoor pursuits centres. These opportunities make a significant contribution to the development of pupils' character. They also support pupils' understanding of diversity and the wider world. Pupils leave the school ready to embrace the opportunities and challenges ahead.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, the curriculum has not been designed to ensure that learning builds effectively over time. The key knowledge that pupils need to master at each stage of their learning is not clear to teachers. This hinders teachers from identifying and addressing any learning gaps or misconceptions that pupils may have in these subjects. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, staff are clear about the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and how this content will be assessed.

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