Swannington Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Swannington Church of England Primary School Main Street, Swannington, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 8QJ

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Outcome

Swannington Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils believe that their school’s slogan, ‘Happy Children, Successful Learners’, sums up Swannington perfectly. They enjoy coming to school each day and feel very safe there. They say that any bullying is very rare and that staff deal with it in a fair way. They think that staff are very caring.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is good at the school. Pupils follow the Calm Code, which they helped to write. They say that it helps them because it is easy to remember. They move around the school in a calm way. They pay attention in class and do their best. Lunchtimes and breaktimes are happy occasions when younger and older pupils play together. They chat together and whoop with delight, leaping from tyre to tyre on the school field. Pupils describe the school as ‘like one big family’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The education pupils receive is good. Staff make sure that pupils learn to read well. Children begin learning their phonics from their very first week in school. Pupils told us how ‘every lesson is amazing!’ and that lessons help them to learn lots of things. Pupils are considerate and polite and keen to reflect Swannington’s ethos of living their lives to the full.

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

The interim executive headteacher, well supported by the head of school, is very ambitious for the school and for every pupil. Her message of ever-higher expectations, combined with wise actions, has had a positive impact across the board.

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

Leaders ensure that the quality of education at Swannington is good. Subjects are consistently well planned. These are delivered in sequences that help pupils to remember lots. The curriculum in the early years is deliberately designed to prepare children well for Year 1. 23 September 2021

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Staff waste no time in beginning to teach children in the Reception Year to read. We saw pupils sitting together, being well behaved and paying very close attention, as they read ‘mat’ and ‘sit’. Those in Year 1 were spelling and writing new words based on the sounds they had learned. By the start of Year 2, pupils can, for instance, write the letters for the different ways the ‘i’ sound can be written. They were proud to explain how they knew this included ‘y’, ‘as in the last letter in ‘why’. Those who are learning to read have well- chosen books that help them practise the sounds they know. Pupils say that they really like to read. Teachers read them lots of exciting stories to kindle their interest. Staff are introducing a new scheme to teach phonics, and purchasing new books to match. They hope this will teach pupils to learn to read at an even earlier age. Leaders are making sure that staff are well trained to deliver this scheme, but this is not yet complete.

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Mathematics is a strength of the school. We saw pupils in Year 2 learning that because three plus three make six, the total of 30 plus 30 must be 60. Teachers give pupils demanding work. However, because it is interesting, pupils want to pay attention. They know that if they do, they can be successful.

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Other subjects are no less challenging. Pupils in key stage 1 learn about the idea of ‘peace’ in religious education. In science, the knowledge of pupils in Year 6 is extended to build on things they have learned before to study nutrients and non-medicinal drugs. In a small number of subjects, such as geography and history, teachers’ assessment of what pupils know is not precise. This risks pupils not learning as much as they could. Nevertheless, other aspects of the curriculum in these subjects are effective. Pupils could tell us lots they remembered learning in them, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and from previous years.

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Pupils also learn important things about relationships, and the need to respect everyone. Staff teach them about the need for exercise. Pupils say that they really enjoy the clubs and activities the school provides.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff help them to learn and remember important knowledge within the curriculum. This means that these pupils achieve well.

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The school is a productive but calm place. Lessons run smoothly and are not disrupted by poor behaviour. We saw how pupils pay close attention and are respectful to each other and to staff. They enjoy collecting marbles in the class jar for rewards, and are proud to pay attention.

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Staff are unanimous in their acclaim for the school’s senior leadership. All who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire said that they felt well respected, and that leaders are mindful of their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 23 September 2021

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All staff receive training in safeguarding. Staff understand their responsibility to report any concern, however slight. They know the warning signs of abuse, and never presume it would not happen. Leaders act on concerns briskly, including with other agencies where needed. They have appropriate procedures for allegations and for staff recruitment.

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Staff teach pupils how to stay safe from a range of risks. Pupils say they could approach a member of staff if they were worried or were being pestered. They told us how staff would help them without making things worse by drawing attention in class.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not all staff who are due to deliver the new phonics scheme have yet been trained in its use. This is due to take place shortly. Until this occurs, however, not everyone can deliver the new scheme with complete confidence. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive the training and ongoing support they need, as well as monitor its implementation, so that it supports all pupils to become fluent readers.  In a small number of foundation subjects, such as geography and history, teachers’ assessment does not always identify precisely what knowledge pupils have remembered at the end of a series of lessons. This risks the teachers planning new things to teach when pupils are not as ready as they could be to understand them. Leaders should ensure that all subjects have effective systems of assessing what pupils have remembered over the long term.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Swannington Church of England Primary School, to be good in February 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 23 September 2021

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

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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. 23 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199537 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Jo Westaby (Interim Executive Headteacher) Website https://www.swanningtonceprimary.org/

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school.  It is part of the Oval Learning Trust multi-academy trust.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  In order to judge whether the school continues to be good, inspectors focused the inspection on specific subjects of the curriculum. Inspectors did deep dives in reading, mathematics and geography. This involved meeting with senior and subject leaders, scrutinising curriculum planning and visiting lessons where pupils were learning these subjects. Inspectors met pupils from the lessons and looked at their work in these and in other subjects. They met with teachers about the curriculum they were delivering. They heard children in different year groups read books. They looked at other subjects of the curriculum, such as science and history, in less depth.  In addition, inspectors met with representatives of the local governing body and the

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Information about this inspection

special educational needs coordinator. They spoke with a representative of the multi- 23 September 2021

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academy trust. They read a wide variety of school documents, including the school development plan.  Inspectors took note of the responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, met with parents and carers at the start of the school day and considered the results of the Ofsted staff questionnaire.  In order to judge the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors read the school’s relevant policies, scrutinised the single central record, checked the school’s procedures for the safe recruitment of staff and interviewed the designated lead for safeguarding. They also spoke with staff to check details of their safeguarding knowledge and training, that they understood the importance of their responsibility to report any safeguarding concerns without delay, and if they knew the procedure to do this. They checked samples of safeguarding records, spoke with parents about their child’s safety at the school, and read responses from Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Roary Pownall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dave Gilkerson Her Majesty’s Inspector 23 September 2021

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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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