St Mary Bourne Primary School

Overview

The report describes a school where “pupils are happy” and behave well within a “calm and purposeful environment.” Leaders have established an “ambitious curriculum” that supports resilience and self-belief, with staff maintaining “high expectations of all pupils,” including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy “positive relationships” with staff, feel safe, and report that “bullying rarely happens.”
• The curriculum is “carefully planned” to securely build knowledge, with teachers adapting learning effectively for pupils with SEND.
• Early reading teaching is “effective,” with staff well-trained in phonics and pupils reading with “confidence and fluency.”
• Children in Reception “settle quickly,” supported by clear routines and “calm, established expectations.”
• Governors “support and challenge senior leaders effectively” and work to reduce teacher workload.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should strengthen communication with parents so they “fully understand how to support their child with their learning.”
• Subject leadership beyond mathematics and English is “underdeveloped,” meaning leaders do not yet know how well pupils are learning across the wider curriculum.
• Subject leaders need to be equipped with the skills to check “how effectively the curriculum is delivered and how well pupils are learning.”

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective,” with a “strong” culture where staff are alert to risks and concerns are reported promptly.