Callow End CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Callow End CofE Primary School Upton Road, Callow End, Worcester, Worcestershire WR2 4TE

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Outcome

Callow End CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy life in this caring school. Pupils and staff describe the school as one big family. Pupils are proud of their school and how they help others by raising funds for charities. Pupils have a strong sense of looking after others in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school that plays an important part of the life of the community. The school makes good use of the local Abbey for the annual nativity performance. Local volunteers help pupils in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well in school. Teachers have high expectations of all pupils. Pupils’ talents are developed through a wide range of experiences. This is a school where positive relationships bring out the best in pupils. Pupils are confident and talk enthusiastically about their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an attractive school environment. Pupils enjoy being outside in woodland school, the sensory garden and older pupils can take part in a residential visit to Wales. The school promotes an enjoyment of the outdoors, adventure and team building. Pupils play well together. They behave very well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel safe in school. Inspection evidence supports this view. 10 December 2019

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils enjoy reading and talk confidently about reading for pleasure at home. They enjoy the range of books they have to choose from in school. Pupil librarians proudly care for the school library. Librarians recommend different books to other pupils through a ‘book of the month’ display. During the inspection, their recommendations for the younger readers included a collection of animal stories and a collection of books about dinosaurs.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Most pupils are confident readers and well prepared for secondary school by the end of Year 6. However, adults do not always check that pupils understand what they have read. The reading curriculum could be better at developing pupils’ reading comprehension skills as they move through key stages 1 and 2.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In the early years children get off to a fast start when learning phonics. Staff provide very good role models when pronouncing sounds. In Year 1, most pupils do well when learning new sounds. However, reading books are not always well matched to the new sounds they are learning. This means that some pupils’ progress is not as good as it could be.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils do well in mathematics. The leader has a vision for mathematics in school. This is shared with staff and pupils. In lessons, pupils enjoy talking about their mathematical ideas and work well together to think things through and solve problems. Pupils enjoy the speed challenge of the school’s ‘number club.’ This is helping them to remember basic number calculations. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported with their work.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils learn different sports. They enjoy inter-school competitions and events. In some subjects, leadership is at an early stage of development. In history and physical education (PE), leaders are beginning to look at how learning builds on what the children already know and can do. In other subjects, leaders and staff are now checking that learning builds up each year to help pupils know more and remember more.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In the early years children thrive in a stimulating environment. They are kept safe. Staff know the children well and use this knowledge to engage their interests. Real-life experiences bring learning to life. For example, through visits to nearby places, such as a farm park. Children soak up new learning. They are happy and relationships with adults are very positive. The early years staff are well led.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

All pupils have many experiences to learn about the wider world. Pupils experience visits, both locally and further away. Pupils enjoy clubs like cookery and art after school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Governors visit the school regularly and know what is going well. Staff say leaders and governors take account of their workload.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They say bullying is rare and that teachers deal with it quickly if it happens.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Parents speak highly of the school and are supportive. Events in school are well attended. 10 December 2019

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Parents who spoke to inspectors described a Callow End CofE Primary as a happy school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand how to keep pupils safe. Staff know the pupils well and are quick to identify if something is upsetting a pupil. Staff understand what to do if they think a pupil is at risk of harm, they act quickly and inform the headteacher. Pupils say they feel safe and parents agree. The school provides extra support for pupils who are from travelling showmen families. This is valued by the community.

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Safeguarding

Staff are familiar with the latest guidance on safeguarding. However, training on how to protect pupils from radicalisation is not yet in place. Training records are maintained but leaders are not always aware when training updates are due.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Most pupils achieve well in reading by the end of Year 6. However, the teaching of comprehension skills is not consistent as pupils move through key stages 1 and 2. This means some pupils do not wholly understand what they are reading. To improve this, leaders should do more to support staff in their work to build pupils’ comprehension skills. They should also provide staff with feedback on what is going well and what needs to improve.  Some of the books pupils read are not well matched to the phonics they are learning. This limits the progress of some pupils. Early years practice in phonics is strong. To continue to improve phonics teaching in key stage 1 leaders should ensure that pupils have the right books and that classroom practice in consistent.  The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced in some subject areas. It is clear from leaders’ actions taken in history, PE and music that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

they are in the process of bringing this about. Leaders now need to develop all curriculum areas to ensure they provide a consistent progression of knowledge and skills.  Safeguarding is effective overall but training in some areas has not been completed. Governors and leaders must ensure that the designated senior leaders training is regularly updated in a timely manner and that all staff have training on protecting pupils from radicalisation. 10 December 2019

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 7–8 February 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111761 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Mr Steven Wilson

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 December 2015

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Information about this school

 The headteacher joined the school in April 2016. The school has two new teachers in early years and key stage 1.  The school provides before-school childcare.  The school has a Nursery class called pre-school. Children join the Nursery when they are three years old.

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Information about this inspection

 Before the inspection, the lead inspector spoke to the headteacher on the telephone about the school’s context and the curriculum.  Early reading, mathematics and geography were considered in depth as part of this inspection. This involved speaking with leaders, staff and pupils, visiting lessons and looking at samples of pupils’ work.  During the inspection, we met with the headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders, the safeguarding leader, governors and the school improvement partner.  We talked to pupils, staff, leaders, parents and governors about safeguarding arrangements and routines at this school. The school’s employment checks and other 10 December 2019

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records were also checked.  We examined external performance data about the school and looked at school documents and the school website.  We met with the early years leader and visited the Nursery and Reception classes.  We considered 18 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and nine free-text responses.  We took account of the seven responses to the Ofsted’s staff survey and 25 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. We observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around school and at breaktime and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Pamela Matty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Diana Pearce Ofsted Inspector 10 December 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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