Quainton Church of England School

Inspection of Quainton Church of England School Lower Street, Quainton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP22 4BJ

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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 Requires improvement 12–13 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. Leaders ensure that pupils understand the school’s core values, particularly ‘endurance’, ‘bravery’ and ‘pride’. Pupils told us that behaviour in their school has improved considerably because the headteacher has introduced helpful new rules for them to follow. However, pupils’ achievement remains variable. Teachers do not have consistently high expectations. The curriculum and teaching in some subjects have yet to be fully developed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that this is a kind school. They feel safe. They recognise that, sometimes, there are fallings-out but say these are quickly resolved and bullying is rare. Staff make sure that pupils have many chances to earn rewards and be responsible. Most pupils engage keenly in their learning. However, sometimes, when learning is not at the right level for pupils, they do not receive the correct challenge or support to learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders take a determined approach to pupils’ personal development. They have increased pupils’ access to a range of sports, such as netball, dance and athletics. Pupils are keen to make a difference to their local and wider community. For example, older pupils host bingo with the local community of older people and take part in ‘enterprise challenges’ with the parish council.

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better?

The new headteacher has made a determined and ambitious start on improving the school. His work has raised standards of behaviour and established clear routines that help pupils know what is expected of them. Pupils behave well around the school. Those with additional behaviour needs have support that helps them to stay safely in school. Most pupils attend school well. Pupils, parents, carers and staff are confident in the leadership of the headteacher and are united behind him. There is a sense of optimism about the future.

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better?

Leaders’ plans to bring this ambitious vision fully to fruition are not well developed in respect of pupils’ learning across the curriculum. Many subject leaders are new to their posts and their work is in the early stages of development. These leaders are well supported by the local authority and the diocese. Further training is required to boost their contribution to the school’s continuing improvement.

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better?

Learning is not consistently well planned to take account of what pupils already know and can do. Sometimes, this works well, such as in Year 3, where pupils use what they have previously learned about the Iron Age to help them consider Bronze Age life. But, overall, pupils often learn things in isolation in subjects such as science and history. The curriculum plans do not support teachers well to help them build upon or deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time.

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better?

Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) varies in its helpfulness across the school. Pupils with education, health and care plans 12–13 November 2019

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have their provision carefully adapted. However, leaders have not ensured that other pupils with SEND are consistently supported well. Sometimes, pupils with SEND remain unclear, even if they get the right answers, because their learning steps are not well planned or made clear to them by staff.

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Pupils have not achieved well in reading, writing or mathematics over time. Although teachers have benefited from some training and support for their planning, gaps remain in teachers’ subject knowledge. This sometimes inhibits them from probing and extending pupils’ responses to questions in order to deepen learning.

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Leaders’ focus on reading has ensured that pupils are keen readers. They discuss the authors and types of books they like. Leaders have started to provide additional well-targeted support for those who struggle to read as they move up through the school to help them to catch up, including those who need additional support with their phonics.

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Pupils get off to a good start in the early years. Teachers plan a wide range of interesting activities to take account of pupils’ needs and interests. Staff skilfully build pupils’ understanding and confidence. Pupils quickly learn their phonics and take home books which help them to practise their skills.

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Governors are highly committed to the school and work closely with leaders. They recognise that, in the past, they have not kept a close enough eye on managing the school’s funding, particularly the additional funds for disadvantaged pupils, to ensure that it is spent effectively.

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The personal, social and health education programme helps pupils to explore rights and responsibilities, and to understand life in modern Britain. Leaders have ensured that this focus extends beyond the curriculum, for example by introducing a range of popular after-school clubs to promote healthy lifestyles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Everyone is aware of the central importance of keeping pupils safe. Leaders have provided staff with appropriate training so that they can spot when things are not as they should be. Staff know what to do if they have concerns about pupils’ welfare. Leaders respond promptly and appropriately to any concerns raised. They involve other agencies where necessary. Safeguarding records are well maintained.

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Safeguarding

Pupils told us they feel safe in school. They are confident that they can tell adults if they have worries and that they will be listened to and supported. 12–13 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders should ensure that teachers’ plans for the teaching of all subjects are carefully sequenced so that these build upon what pupils can already do and develop pupils’ knowledge and skills over time.  Leaders should continue to provide continued professional development for a range of staff to help secure their subject knowledge and leadership skills so that they can affect improvement more rapidly.  Leaders should ensure that support for pupils with SEND is effective. Staff require further training to ensure that they have the skills needed to support this group of pupils well so that pupils with SEND make good progress in all their learning.  Leaders have an ambitious vision for providing high-quality education for pupils but this is in the early stages of development. Leaders need to ensure that they develop a strong shared approach that informs school improvement effectively.  Governors should ensure that they are well informed, including about spending

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

for disadvantaged pupils, and that they use this knowledge to hold leaders to account for how well funds are being used to improve outcomes for pupils.

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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. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111109 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 11–13 July 2017

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the headteacher has left the school. A part-time interim headteacher was appointed by the governors. In September 2019, a new interim full-time headteacher started at the school. There have been many changes to other leadership roles in the school and this has not yet stabilised.  The governors commissioned an external review of governance following the previous inspection. There have been several governors who have left and joined the governing body. The chair of governors has taken up her post since the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. This was the first re-inspection since the school was found to require improvement in July 2017.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, leaders, staff and two representatives from the governing body.  I spoke to representatives from the local authority and the diocese on the 12–13 November 2019

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telephone.  We spoke to parents at the school gate and considered 48 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire, including 31 free-text responses.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and history. We visited a range of lessons and looked at learning plans. We spoke to pupils and staff about pupils’ learning and looked at pupils’ work.  We spoke to pupils, parents and staff about the school’s work to keep pupils safe. We considered a range of safeguarding documentation.

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Inspection team

Deborah Gordon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mineza Maher Ofsted Inspector 12–13 November 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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