Duxford Church of England Community Primary School

Duxford Church of England Community Primary School St John's Street, Duxford, Cambridge, CB22 4RA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils have not been making rapid enough progress in Key Stage 2.  Pupils with special educational needs, in particular, have not always made enough progress because they have missed important lessons to undertake individual and group work.  Despite recent improvements, writing, including spelling and handwriting, is a weaker aspect of pupils’ work. Pupils have not had enough opportunities to write at length until recently.  The outside area in the Early Years Foundation Stage is shabby and in need of refurbishment and reorganisation.  The activities that the children choose for themselves in the Reception classes are not always challenging enough.  Past teaching in Key Stage 2 has not been good enough. This has left some pupils with ground to make up.  The school has recently radically reorganised the way staff review teaching and learning in different subjects. Staff have not had enough time to become familiar with these new

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

arrangements so that they can be fully effective.  Some teachers do not make full use of available lesson time. For example, they do not always challenge able pupils or use teaching assistants to good effect during introductions.

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The school has the following strengths

 This is a rapidly improving school. Many pupils are currently making good progress and making up lost ground.  The headteacher has made a good start in her role, as has the new deputy headteacher.  Pupils behave well and have a good knowledge of how to keep safe.  The governing body is well led and is playing a key role in the improvements that are being made.  Close links with the church, strengths in performing arts and the good quality of assemblies support the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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Information about this inspection

 Nineteen lessons or parts of lessons were observed. All teachers present during the inspection were observed teaching. Three lessons were jointly observed with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Discussions took place with the headteacher, members of staff, an adviser from the local authority, a group of pupils and four governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  Inspectors observed the teaching of reading and listened to pupils read.  Samples of work were studied and also information about pupils’ progress.  Inspectors read the school’s self-evaluation form and school development plan.  Records of behaviour and safeguarding documentation were examined.  The inspectors looked at the 76 responses from parents to the online questionnaire, Parent View.  The views of staff were sought and 10 responded to a written questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Peter Sudworth, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lynn Lowery Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school with two Reception classes and one class in each of the other year groups.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional government funding to be used for pupils who are looked after by the local authority, known to be eligible for free school meals or from families with a parent in the armed forces, is broadly average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action and the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are average.  The headteacher, formerly the deputy headteacher, commenced her duties at Easter 2013. An internal appointment was then made for the deputy headteacher position.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching good and outstanding throughout lessons, by making sure that:  teaching assistants are used effectively to support learning  more-able pupils are challenged effectively during different activities  pupils have enough time to deepen their knowledge and understanding, by completing the tasks set within a lesson.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning in the Reception Year by:  refreshing the external area  ensuring that the activities children choose for themselves are more consistently challenging and move their learning on.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ attainment in writing and speed up their progress by:  improving pupils’ spelling skills  providing more opportunities for pupils to write at length in different contexts  ensuring that, at an appropriate age, pupils consistently use joined handwriting.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop further the skills of individual members of staff in the new team arrangements, so that they work effectively together when they review strengths and areas for development in different subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Key Stage 2 results have been below average in the past two years in English and mathematics and some pupils, particularly those of lower ability, have not made sufficient progress. Previous arrangements to withdraw pupils who have special educational needs from key lessons to undertake special programmes affected their progress adversely. They missed important learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 While most pupils are making good progress, writing is weaker than other aspects. In particular, there have been insufficient opportunities for pupils to write longer pieces to practise their grammar and punctuation in different contexts and develop their stamina in writing. Handwriting and spelling are also weaker areas. Some pupils are not using their skills to join up their letters frequently enough, so writing takes them too long.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The attainment of children when they first enter the Reception classes varies from year to year. Overall, it is around that expected for their age. By the end of Reception, they have made good progress in communication and language and in personal skills. Children make slower progress in their learning outdoors than they do inside the classroom.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress. In 2012 and 2013 they obtained better than average results in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportions of pupils reaching the higher level (Level 3) were above average in 2012, increasing even further in 2013. In the national checks on how well Year 1 pupils know the sounds that letters make (phonics), the proportion of pupils reaching the standard has been much higher than national figures in the past two years.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 School data shows that the year groups currently in Key Stage 2 are on track to attain more highly than in recent years. Pupils who have special educational needs are making much more rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils entitled to support through the pupil premium make similar and sometimes better rates of progress than other pupils. The gap in attainment with pupils not entitled to this funding is closing. The 2013 results show that pupils receiving this support were about one term behind their classmates, a smaller gap than nationally.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching, although it has been improving, resulting in much improved progress in different year groups, has not been good enough over time, notably in Key Stage 2. In particular, the teaching of writing has not been skilful enough, and so pupils have been left with ground to make up. There remain weaknesses in the teaching at the start of some lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Introductions to lessons are too often the same for all abilities. More-able pupils often find the work in this part of the lesson too easy, especially in mathematics. Teachers have not all developed techniques that allow them to juggle explanations of work at different levels in the same lesson.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are occasions when pupils are not given enough time to finish the work they are set. Teaching assistants are not always used productively during the first part of lessons, although they are more effective in supporting groups during later activities.  The outside area in the Early Years Foundation Stage is shabby and the resources are not organised well enough to engage children in purposeful learning all the time. As a result, pupils make slower progress outside when they are choosing activities for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers explain lesson tasks well and make good use of learning resources to help pupils’ understanding in Key Stages 1 and 2. They plan well for different ability groups in the later part of lessons, when pupils work on a range of activities that are set at the right level of difficulty.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers use modern technology effectively to introduce new learning to pupils on large screens. This approach engages the pupils. Pupils’ use of individual whiteboards ensures that they keep thinking, working out a calculation or drafting a sentence to the teacher’s requirements.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The progress of pupils is checked regularly. Pupils who are not making enough progress are picked up quickly. Arrangements for pupils who have learning difficulties are now organised to good effect and they no longer miss important learning when withdrawn from class.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking is up to date with brief comments about what the pupils have done well and where they can improve. Pupils know their learning targets and the teachers check their progress towards them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The emphasis on mathematical investigations is a good feature in Year 6. During the inspection, pupils investigated the relationship between a series of numbers. They rose to the challenge and worked out different possible solutions.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is strongest in Years 2 and 6. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils made good progress in understanding division because materials were well prepared and effectively used. Pupils with learning difficulties worked on a simpler task sharing sweets between different numbers of people, which helped their understanding.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading is good. As a result, pupils have good techniques for tackling new words in their books. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils could identify the sounds in different words confidently.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in class and around the school. They say that it is a friendly school. Pupils are polite. Evidence indicates that behaviour is good over time. There have been no exclusions or racist incidents. The school has successfully improved the behaviour of a small group of pupils for whom behaviour was an issue and they are now fully involved in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know about different forms of bullying. They say that a small number of pupils have been bullied in the past, but that anti-bullying week was very helpful in this regard. They are confident that there is little bullying now.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Older pupils look after the younger ones. Year 6 pupils who travel on coaches to school with younger pupils escort them to their classroom in the morning. At playtimes, the older pupils take an active role in helping younger ones and engaging them in play.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school. They are punctual. Attendance has improved and is now above average. Pupils’ attitudes to work are good in all subjects and in all lessons when working alone, in groups or as a class. They are very keen to do well. This is seen in their improving rates of progress. They cooperate well with their teachers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good awareness of keeping themselves safe. They know that they must not give personal details over the internet, for example.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s system that enables leaders to keep a check on things and evaluate how well they are working has changed since the headteacher and deputy headteacher took up their posts. Staff have been reorganised into two teams to keep a range of subjects under review. They are not yet very experienced with the new system, so it is not yet fully effective.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Nevertheless, the headteacher and deputy headteacher have made a good start in their new roles. They are well aware of what the priorities should be. They observe teaching regularly and have taken strong action to improve achievement; this is having a good impact on accelerating pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Reviews of staff’s performance are arranged well with good reference to the national Teachers’ Standards. Targets for staff are well written and reflect the school development plan. Statements are written to enable success to be measured and this success is to be linked to pay when targets are evaluated.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupil premium money is spent with the needs of entitled pupils in mind, for example extra staffing to support their learning. Its success is seen in the narrowing of the attainment gap between these pupils and those not entitled to the grant.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has not yet received its primary sport funding. The school plans to spend this on extending the range of after school activities, including extra sports tuition, with some undertaken alongside staff to increase their skills in teaching physical education.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum blends subjects effectively so that pupils can learn through topics that interest them. There is still work to do to improve aspects of the Reception Year and pupils’ writing skills. The good range of extra activities extends pupils’ interests. Some take place at lunch times so that all pupils can take part, including pupils who travel by bus to school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils’ spiritual development is supported well through good quality assemblies and through close links with the local church. Residential visits for pupils in Years 5 and 6 support their social development effectively. Pupils sing well and have good opportunities to perform in school productions.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has advised the school on senior appointments and provided support for the governing body. It visits termly to review progress. It was recently involved in a two-day review of teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Good links with other schools enable staff to arrange and gain from joint training activities.  The governance of the school:  Governors attend regular training and play a key role in the school. They follow up areas on the school development plan and challenge school leaders. Visits to school give them an understanding of the quality of teaching. They know about the arrangements for staff appraisal.  Governors keep the school’s finances under regular review. They have been involved in deciding the spending of the pupil premium grant and know about the impact it is having. Governors understand pupil progress data and use this to assess how effective actions have been and check pupils have equal opportunities.  Safeguarding meets requirements. The policy, which includes the names of key safeguarding staff and the safeguarding governor, is reviewed annually.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 110798 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 425208

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 207 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Clare Delderfield Headteacher Deborah Gould Date of previous school inspection 15 September 2011 Telephone number 01223 712108 Fax number 01223 712109 Email address office@duxford.cambs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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