Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Overview

This inspection confirms that Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School “continues to be a good school.” Inspectors found a “caring and nurturing ethos” where pupils are “warmly welcomed” and feel “very safe.” The school is praised for its inclusive approach, strong mathematics provision, and effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy attending this rural school, where relationships between staff and pupils are “positive” and bullying is “very rare.”
• The mathematics curriculum is “well structured” and enables all pupils to succeed, supported by teachers with “strong subject knowledge.”
• Reading is a high priority; staff use a “clearly sequenced phonics scheme,” and pupils read with “fluency and expression.”
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are “very well supported” using a range of resources and professional advice.
• Behaviour is described as “exemplary,” with pupils being “kind, courteous and respectful” to each other and staff.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should ensure key knowledge in subjects like history is revisited regularly so pupils can “embed previous learning and connect it to new knowledge.”
• Leaders should further develop the curriculum linked to pupils’ wider development so they understand more about “life in modern Britain,” as current knowledge of diversity is “less secure.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” with clear policies, regular staff training, and robust recruitment checks in place.