Busill Jones Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 April 2026

There are high expectations of pupils to ‘be positive, be respectful and be your best'. This vision is being lived out throughout the school. Pupils enjoy learning a wide range of subjects. Their achievement in English and mathematics is improving. This prepares them well for their next stages of education. Staff get to know pupils and families well. This reduces barriers to learning. Leaders make sure that staff provide effective support for families. This is crucial in order for pupils to thrive. However, the most significant barrier to learning is that some pupils do not attend regularly enough. While leaders have suitable strategies in place to improve these pupils’ attendance they are yet to bear fruit. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere across the school. Pupils’ relationships with adults are positive and friendly. Pupils settle quickly due to established routines at the start of each day. This enables them to focus in lessons as well as follow leaders’ expectations of behaviour when moving around school and at social times. Pupils know that they have trusted adults to turn to if they have a problem. Skilled staff make sure that pupils understand potential risks in the local area and how to deal with these. They provide suitable support for families so that pupils remain safe in school and at home. Leaders are ambitious for pupils to have high aspirations for later life. For example, links with a university and local businesses helps pupils to understand the opportunities available to them when they are older. Older pupils develop their understanding of running a business through carrying out roles in the ‘honey pot shop’, where they can be cashiers, managers and bankers.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that the school’s attendance strategy is having an impact, improving attendance of pupils who are persistently absent.
• Leaders should ensure that school improvement planning is focused on the school’s priorities so these can be achieved more rapidly.
• Leaders should further support staff so they deliver the school’s curriculum consistently as intended.
• Leaders should support staff to ensure that the feedback given to pupils in lessons is followed up in subsequent learning so pupils build their knowledge well.
• Leaders should ensure that staff focus on developing pupils’ accurate letter formation and clear presentation in their writing.

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