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B-by-B C
of E Primary School -
National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Report 16 Dec 2008 |
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Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary
Aided Primary School
Gisburn Road
Bolton by Bowland, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 4NP
Diocese: Bradford
Local authority: Lancashire
Date of inspection: 16th December 2008
Date of last inspection: February 2006
School’s unique reference number:119688
Headteacher: Mr David Lloyd
Inspector’s name and number: Mr R D Masterton No. 483
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School context
This is a small village school in the Bowland Forest district
of Lancashire. There are 33 children including 4 who are
in early years’ provision. There is little social deprivation.
All children are White British. 7 have on the special needs
register but none have a statement. In January 2008 a new
head teacher was appointed who also is responsible for a
second Church of England primary school in the next village
of Grindleton. The parish church is close by the school.
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The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Bolton
by Bowland as a Church of England school are good with some
outstanding features.
Bolton by Bowland School provides effective education and is
a beacon of Christian ethos at the heart of a village and parish
community. The headteacher and governors have worked hard to
ensure church school improvement. If progress can be sustained,
and monitoring and evaluation strategies embedded, the school
has the potential to become outstanding.
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Established strengths
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The effective leadership of the head teacher and the parish
priest (chair of governors)..
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Children’s very positive relationships with each other
and with the adults they meet
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The close links between school, parish and village which impact
strongly on the quality of collective worship
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The teaching of religious education.
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Focus for development
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Develop strategies to extend pupils’ critical, intellectual
and spiritual development to promote curiosity and deepen pupils’ response
to issues of faith and belief
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Extend and embed strategies for church school evaluation to
sustain improvement.
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The school, through its distinctive Christian
character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners
Bolton by Bowland School is a special community that provides
children with a very secure and stimulating environment in
which to learn. The Christian ethos in school is evident through
care, concern, relationships and response to each individual’s
need and is nurtured by the wholehearted commitment of all
school staff. A rich curriculum with good display, including
stimulus for spiritual development and reflection, provides
many different routes for learning, exploration and understanding.
Very careful measures have been put in place to meet all children’s
different needs in this small school. There are carefully tailored
individual learning programmes and teaching approaches to match
different ages, starting points and aptitudes. All children
are known individually by staff. Children know they are valued
and they take responsibility for each other in class and around
the school. Achievement is good. Children make or exceed progress
expected by the national curriculum in core subjects and good
progress in other areas. Their personal development is good.
They are polite, kind, confident, articulate and responsible.
Older children show maturity in learning. However, some aspects
of their spiritual and intellectual development could be extended,
as they are not yet fully comfortable in linking ideas logically
and challenging simple interpretations of religious ideas they
have met. Relationships in the school have an exceptional quality
not only between children themselves but with all the adults
they meet. Children’s views are valued and respected
and this generates a spirit of shared purpose in the life and
work of the school. There is a very tangible Christian ethos
underpinning work at every level.
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The impact of collective worship on the school
community is outstanding.
Collective worship has a place of central importance in the
daily school life. It has been strengthened by the work of
the new head teacher particularly through promoting the participation
of children themselves. It is very well planned providing a
secure and developed structure for all of who lead collective
worship. Participation is both inspirational and enjoyable.
Acts of collective worship are memorable and developmental
for children, providing a powerful contribution to their personal
understanding and spiritual maturity. A moving act of collective
worship observed, was produced and executed entirely by older
children who chose the theme, wrote the scripts for a Christmas
Story presentation, acted rôles in costume, chose songs
and read the prayers they had written. Links with worship in
the parish church are very strong. The church is used regularly,
especially during Lent, and in church children experience Eucharistic
worship. Children contribute to parish services on special
occasions making an important contribution to village life.
School collective worship incorporates and respects traditions
and festivals from different faiths as well as reflecting the
Anglican calendar. It extends into the curriculum and the life
of the school particularly through the established tradition
of children writing their thoughts and prayers. School collective
worship sustained the whole community through the trauma of
the recent death of a member of staff. Children are now able
to remember her joyfully. Their writing in a commemorative
book shows mature spirituality and it gave important support
to others who mourned. Children value collective worship in
the way that it helps them to think and to respond to the needs
of others. They remember the key messages and themes. Each
week parents are invited to join school collective worship
and this opportunity is popular. There is a worship committee
through which governors regularly monitor this area of the
curriculum.
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The effectiveness of religious education is good
with some outstanding features
Religious education is seen as most important in the curriculum.
It is followed closely by the ‘Governors’ Committee’ set
up to promote the quality of both collective worship and religious
education. There has been substantial improvement to provision
following the appointment of the new head teacher and this
has already led to higher standards of work. In two outstanding
parallel lessons that included all children, one led by the
head teacher and the second by another member of staff, teaching
was outstanding. Based on the symbolism of light in Christian
faith, particularly at Christmas, all children were introduced
to interesting and challenging ideas. Teaching approaches were
structured in detail to meet the wide age range of children
being taught together. The response from children was good
and their understanding visibly progressed through learning
activities that were both fun and demanding. The lessons concluded
in ways that provided a helpful link to collective worship.
There is now a detailed and challenging scheme of work based
on syllabi from the dioceses of Blackburn and Bradford and
Ripon & Leeds with inclusion of learning on different faiths
and cultures. Foundation governors are fully involved in approving
changes. Lessons are planned at appropriately expected levels
for children of different ages. There is a robust system for
assessment based on the evaluation of how well each child has
performed the learning tasks set in each module of work. This
assessment shows that children are achieving at levels that
match or exceed their other work in core subjects such as literacy.
Children enjoy their lessons. They remember key facts such
as details of biblical events; they understand their significance
and can relate what they have learned to the way that Christians
behave, for example, in response to need through action or
prayer. However older pupils need more practice in applying
curiosity, logic and intellectual challenge to develop a more
mature understanding of the nature of Christian belief and
the response it engenders.
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The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the
school as a church school is outstanding.
Outstanding commitment and leadership by the parish priest,
as chair of the governing body, established the appointment
of the head teacher charged with leadership of this, and another
church school. Appointed in January 2008, the head teacher
has helped the school make rapid progress with very significant
improvements in religious education and collective worship.
Change is welcomed with enthusiasm. Staff are encouraged to
try new initiatives and there is an ethos that nurtures and
develops the contributions that children can make to their
own learning. Governors are highly committed and bring much
expertise. They regularly monitor the school’s distinctive
curriculum and have fully addressed issues from the last inspection
with a much improved dimension to children’s understanding
of different faiths and cultures. Links with the parish church
and village activities are very strong. In many ways the school,
church and village form just one community in which the school
plays its full part.The school sits at the centre of life in
the rural community it serves, and its character is that of
Christian service not just to children but to all others who
come into contact with school work. There is a clear school
mission statement which has been best interpreted in the past
by children themselves who captured the spirit of the school. ‘We
are all one family. The children here all hold the key to friendship
and Christianity.’ No surprise then that parents are
enthusiastic about the work of the school and join in whenever
given the chance to do so.
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