Cam Everlands Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cam Everlands Primary School Birch Road, Cam, Dursley, Gloucestershire GL11 5SF

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Outcome

Cam Everlands Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and find learning fascinating. Pupils brim with enthusiasm when they talk about their work. They are rightly proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are caring. Pupils trust adults to help them and they feel valued. Adults encourage pupils to work hard and do their best. As a result, pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in early years talk enthusiastically about their learning. They enjoy listening to stories, such as ‘Room on the Broom’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcoming and polite. They care for one another and form strong friendships. Pupils confirm that poor behaviour and bullying are rare. They are confident that adults will sort out any problems swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide pupils with exciting opportunities to develop their interests and talents. For example, pupils interviewed musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. This helped pupils to appreciate the importance of regular practice and hard work in order to achieve well. Pupils are well supported to develop their skills in sports such as cross-country, football and cricket.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They appreciate the hard work and dedication of staff. Some parents comment that their children have ‘blossomed’ here.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils to do their best. Most pupils achieve well. Leaders have recently designed and implemented a challenging curriculum in subjects such as music and geography. 4–5 March 2020

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Sequences of teaching in other subjects, such as design and technology (DT) and art, have been revised. Curriculum plans clearly set out the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn well. However, series of lessons in these subjects have not been embedded yet.

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The headteacher and another member of staff share the role of special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). They make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have appropriate help. This ensures that pupils can undertake the same learning as others. Parents appreciate the support the school provides for their children.

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Leaders support staff well. There is a strong team ethos at the school. Teachers have a thorough knowledge of the subjects they teach. This ensures that pupils are provided with a curriculum that challenges pupils to do their best.

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Leaders inspire pupils to read. Children are taught to read when they start school. Pupils have regular phonics lessons that help them to become fluent, confident readers. When pupils struggle, they are given extra help. Pupils can attend ‘Busy Bees’ club if they need extra reading practice. Pupils thoroughly enjoy listening to adults read to them.

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Adults and pupils have good relationships. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Consequently, disruptions to learning are rare. Bullying is not a problem. Staff provide effective support for pupils when they need it, including those who find it hard to cope. As a result, pupils learn to manage their behaviour well.

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Music lessons are well planned. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning. In early years, children explore the sounds they make when they tap different lengths of plastic tubing. Older pupils can explain their knowledge of musical notes, such as minims and crotchets, with confidence. Pupils enjoy learning to play instruments, such as the ocarina and a variety of reed instruments.

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Geography is thoroughly planned. Leaders inspire pupils to undertake challenging work. This helps pupils to develop deep knowledge and skills. Pupils think hard when they make comparisons between Cam and London. Pupils learn to read maps and use six-figure grid references. They consolidate these skills when they go orienteering.

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The early years is an exciting learning environment that encourages children to explore and find things out. For example, children learn about floating and sinking when they place objects in water. They notice changes when they observe the lifecycle of a hen. Children behave well because they know what is expected of them. They are self-assured and confident.

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Leaders support pupils’ personal development well. For example, pupils find out about den-building when they visit Redwood. They have the chance to learn French and Italian. Pupils learn the value of saving money. 4–5 March 2020

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Governors are supportive. They visit the school to find out about leaders’ and teachers’ work. However, they do not have a precise understanding of the actions that leaders have taken to improve the curriculum. This limits how well they can check the impact of this.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Adults are sensitive to pupils’ needs and prioritise their welfare. Leaders do not hesitate to involve external agencies when pupils and families need extra help. All staff have received safeguarding training. They understand how to refer their concerns. All safeguarding concerns are thoroughly logged and followed up.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in and out of school. For example, they have a good awareness of online and road safety. Pupils also learn how to stay safe through visits from police officers.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have re-designed the curriculum in some subjects, such as music and geography. In these subjects, series of lessons are well focused on the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn. Leaders are aware that revised teaching sequences in some subjects, such as DT and art, are not fully embedded. Leaders need to make sure that coherent sequences of learning enable pupils to achieve well in all subjects.  Governors are unclear about the improvements that leaders are making to the curriculum in some subjects. As a result, they are not sure how well the curriculum supports pupils’ achievement. Governors must develop their checks to assure themselves that the curriculum is sufficiently challenging in all subjects.

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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 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/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. 4–5 March 2020

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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 are the school and you are 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. 4–5 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10058414 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 Annette Heylings

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–14 January 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher started in post in 2016, following the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 I held several meetings with the headteacher. I also met with the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo).  I did deep dives in these subjects: reading, music and geography. I held discussions with subject leaders. I visited several lessons with the headteacher. I talked to pupils about their learning. I also spoke with teachers.  I held a meeting with a group of governors. I had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  I reviewed the school’s safeguarding records and checked the school’s single central record. I discussed the school’s safeguarding arrangements with leaders and other staff.  I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons. I also observed their behaviour during breaktime and lunchtime and in the breakfast club. 4–5 March 2020

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 I spoke to pupils and parents to gauge their views of the school. I reviewed 54 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, along with 25 additional free-text comments. I took account of 33 responses to the staff survey and 24 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4–5 March 2020

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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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