Bathford Church School near Bath has been given a glowing inspection report by Ofsted, including a judgement of ‘Outstanding’ for the work done in the personal development of the children.
Led by headteacher Becky Hayter, the primary school was described as a ‘happy and inclusive’ school and in the other four Ofsted areas – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years education – the school was rated as ‘Good’.
The 143 pupil school is part of the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust (BWMAT).
There was praise for the way the school’s vision is lived out in practice and it was noted achievement is good across a wide range of subjects.
The report highlighted the ‘ambitious curriculum’ at Bathford in all years and the support given for pupils with special education needs and/or abilities.
The report noted, ‘Pupils aim to be the ‘best they can be’ in line with the school’s vision. Pupils rise to the high expectations the school has of them. They achieve well across a wide range of subjects. Pupils understand the school’s values of ‘grow, care, serve, share’. Typically, pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning and want to learn.
‘The school has designed an ambitious curriculum, that sets out what pupils should learn and in what order, starting from the early years. Children learn to read as soon as they start school. They are taught by well-trained staff, who regularly check how securely pupils are learning the curriculum.
‘Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn the same curriculum as their peers. Their needs are identified quickly and staff make useful adaptations to support them in lessons. This helps them to learn the curriculum alongside their peers.’
There was particular praise for the ‘wider development’ of pupils and the inspectors noted the range of activities and opportunities available to the children which contribute to their wider understanding of the curriculum.
The report noted, ‘The school’s approach to the wider development of pupils is excellent. Pupils benefit from an array of carefully selected rich experiences to develop their interests and knowledge of the curriculum. For example, pupils attend the local literature festival to further spark their love of reading.”
‘Pupils understand the difference they can have on the school community. For example, ‘digital leaders’ support computing lessons in younger year groups. This has led to increased self-confidence.
‘Pupils have an insightful understanding of equalities. They understand it is unfair to treat people differently just because they are not the same. As a result, pupils leave the school prepared for the wider world.’
Other key findings in the inspection included:
- In many subjects, pupils build their knowledge well over time. This is because the school has made clear how subjects should be taught.
- Pupils understand the school’s clear rules and routines. During social times, pupils play well together across year groups. The school provides effective support for any pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour.
- Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate how leaders and the trust have considered their workload, alongside the work to develop the curriculum. Those responsible for governance hold leaders to account diligently for the quality of education. Together, the school, trust and those responsible for governance are ambitious for every pupil to achieve their potential.
- Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Mrs Hayter said, “We are absolutely delighted to see the impact of our school vision and values reflected both in the inspection report and in the ‘Outstanding’ judgement for personal development. Our school vision is to help children to grow by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and values they need both to make sense of the world and to become caring, responsible global citizens. We are proud to see this work recognised through the glowing comments about personal development at Bathford.
“It was also heartening that the inspectors recognised the dedication of our wonderful staff team and the extensive work done to grow our ambitious curriculum. We look forward to continuing to build on the positives reflected in the inspection report, doing all we can, working in partnership as school leaders, staff, governors, volunteers, our supportive parent community and the Trust, to be the best that we can be.”
BWMAT chief executive officer, Nikki Edwards, added, “The superlatives in this report really do reflect the reality of life at Bathford. This is a school with a clear vision which is lived out every day and which is supporting all the children to become the best version of themselves. In particular, the ‘Outstanding’ judgement for personal development highlights the work which goes on in key areas such as equality and fairness. Within BWMAT, we know the work done by Becky and her team has been of the very highest standard.
“Our Education Strategy lays out ‘what excellence looks like’ across seven key areas and Bathford is a shining example of this ‘gold standard’. Congratulations to Becky and her team and to parents and carers for their ongoing support and encouragement.”
