Corby Old Village Primary School

Inspection of Corby Old Village Primary School High Street, Corby, Northamptonshire, NN17 1UU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 10–11 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to come to this school. They know that their teachers want them to achieve well. They say that their teachers work hard to support them. Pupils appreciate this support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. Pupils told us that they must be kind and honest with each other. They know that it is important to obey the school rules.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school. If they have a concern, they speak to any adult in school, for example through the 'worry monster'. They are confident that the adults will help them to resolve their worries. If pupils feel lonely or upset, they can sit on the friend ‘bus-stop’ bench in the playground. We saw pupils coming over to help and talk to others who were sitting on this bench.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy winning points for their house. They are keen to win the house cup at the end of each week. They work hard to win these points and enjoy working together as a team. Celebrating each other's successes is important to them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils care for each other. Bullying is rare. Staff deal with any occasions when bullying occurs. Pupils we talked to know that bullying was wrong.

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better?

The quality of education is not consistently good enough. Leaders have not thought well enough about how best to teach some subjects. English and mathematics are well taught, but this is not the case in history and geography, for example. In these subjects, teachers do not think carefully about what to teach, and when. At times they have randomly chosen what to teach. Leaders have drafted new plans for these subjects, but have only just put these in place.

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better?

Teachers' knowledge of some subjects is not strong enough. For instance, in science, leaders do not make sure that teachers understand the topics they are teaching. Teachers do not always know how best to teach the content, because they have not had the right training. They sometimes set work that is too hard or too easy. As a result, pupils struggle to remember what they have learned.

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better?

In English and mathematics, teachers' subject knowledge is strong. They know how to help pupils understand what they are learning and link it to what they already know. Year 6 pupils could use negative numbers accurately because they had previously learned to count backwards from zero. Most pupils achieve well in these two subjects.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn the full range of subjects. When they need help, they get this in lessons and so do not miss out on 10–11 September 2019

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any learning. However, some teaching does not meet their needs well enough.

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Pupils are fluent readers. They enjoy reading. Younger pupils practise phonics every day. This helps them to understand the full range of sounds and letters. They become confident readers because they read books that closely match the sounds that they know. They also learn to enjoy reading stories with their teachers. Pupils who struggle to read receive the support they need to help them.

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Pupils are keen to learn. They try hard, even when their work is too difficult. They like to share their ideas and get involved in different activities.

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Pupils learn about the lives of people locally and in other countries. They talked to us about how people have different religious beliefs. They visit senior citizens near the school to give them food at harvest festival and to sing carols at Christmas. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong. They help to agree the school rules. In Year 6, pupils attend a careers fair so that they can learn about different jobs.

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Children in the early years are happy and safe. They get on well together. Their teacher knows them well and plans activities that they will enjoy. We listened to the children singing a song about aliens. The teacher used this song skilfully to help the children count backwards from five. The children enjoyed counting with the teacher. Children who find work difficult get the help they need. Adults care well for the children. They comfort children who become upset. Most children leave the early years ready for Year 1.

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Leaders know that teachers teach English and mathematics well but until recently did not check how well pupils learned in other subjects. Governors have not made sure that the quality of education is good in all subjects.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff keep pupils safe. They have regular safeguarding training and know what to do if a pupil needs help. They are quick to report any concerns that they have. Leaders respond swiftly, working with parents and other agencies when this is appropriate. Staff check that pupils who miss school are safe. Leaders undertake thorough checks on the staff that they recruit.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to manage the different risks that they may face. For example, some Year 6 pupils were learning about bike safety when we visited the school.

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 Teachers implement the curriculum for English and mathematics consistently well and pupils are successful in these subjects. However, this is not the case in many other areas of the curriculum, including in history and geography. Until recently, pupils have not learned topics in these subjects in any specific order that enables them to build on what they have previously learned. Leaders have reviewed the plans for learning in these subjects. These plans now ensure that pupils are able to build upon previous learning. However, these plans are new. Leaders must ensure that teachers put these into practice consistently well. This will enable pupils to be able to achieve well, including pupils with SEND .  Teachers' subject knowledge and subject pedagogical knowledge is not consistently strong across all subjects. This can lead to teachers lacking confidence in what they are teaching to the pupils. Leaders must ensure that teachers receive the training they

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need to be secure in their subject knowledge and how to teach the different subjects well.  Senior leaders do not check how well pupils learn across all subjects. Leaders must ensure that their checks on the quality of education consider how well pupils understand all subjects.  Governors do not provide sufficient challenge to leaders about the quality of education across the full range of subjects. This prevents them from holding leaders to account effectively and supporting their plans for improvement. While they check on pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics, governors do not ask about the curriculum in other subjects. Governors need to ensure that the curriculum is equally strong across all subjects.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you're not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 10–11 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110061 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 January 2019

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Information about this school

 The school’s previous full inspection took place on 20–21 May 2015.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors undertook deep dives into early reading, mathematics, science and geography. Inspectors met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ workbooks, met with pupils and met with the teachers of the lessons they visited.  The lead inspector met with the headteacher to discuss safeguarding. Inspectors also spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding. The lead inspector looked at documentation relating to safeguarding, the school’s single central register and 10–11 September 2019

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the school’s system for recruiting staff.

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Inspection team

Simon Hollingsworth, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Janis Warren Ofsted Inspector 10–11 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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