Great Staughton Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Great Staughton Primary Academy The Causeway, Great Staughton, St Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 5BP

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Outcome

Great Staughton Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to be part of this small, friendly school. Pupils care about each other. They get on well with school staff. Pupils and their parents told inspectors that the school feels like one big family.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They follow the school rules. They want to learn and they work hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about how others may be different from themselves. They understand the importance of being kind to each other. Bullying rarely happens. Pupils know that unkind behaviour is unacceptable and that staff would deal with it quickly and well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take responsibility around the school. For instance, some pupils keep the school tidy in the ‘ground force’ club. Older pupils run sports activities for younger pupils as part of the ‘sports crew’. There are a selection of additional clubs during lunch and after school that pupils enjoy. Pupils look forward to trips, such as the Year 6 residential.

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

Since the previous inspection report, leaders have continued to improve the school’s curriculum. Leaders have constructed a curriculum that is broad, ambitious and adapted to the needs of a small school.

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

Subject leaders’ curriculum plans are sequenced carefully from the Nursery through to Year 6. In mathematics, for instance, children in Reception Year effectively build their vocabulary about number and shape so that by Year 1 they can accurately use mathematical words. By Year 6, many pupils are confident mathematicians and can solve problems fluently. Well-considered curriculum plans support pupils effectively to build their knowledge, step-by-step.

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

Teachers have a good understanding of what pupils are learning. They use in-class checks to make sure pupils are on track. Teachers have found some gaps in pupils’ knowledge. 7 October 2021

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For example, pupils were not able to practise sport in the way they normally would during the pandemic. This has led to them missing some important knowledge in physical education, such as with regard to team sports. Subject leaders have adapted their curriculum plans to support pupils to catch up.

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Children who attend the Nursery are prepared well for Reception. The nursery curriculum is clearly planned and supports children’s development. Leaders link what children are taught in Nursery and Reception to what they will be taught in Year 1 and beyond. Shared books, stories and sounds, for example, introduce children to the beginning of their reading knowledge. Learning opportunities and activities are well considered and purposeful. They support children’s learning and prepare them for the next stage.

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Reading is prioritised across the school. The early reading curriculum is laid out so that pupils’ phonics knowledge builds over time. Pupils learn to read with greater confidence as a result. They use their phonics knowledge to read unfamiliar words with accuracy and fluency. Pupils read regularly with adults in school and at home. In every class, teachers share their love of books with pupils. Pupils read a wide variety of interesting and challenging books, many linked to the school’s curriculum. Pupils are beginning to make connections between the books they are reading and the learning in class. This helps them to learn the meaning of many new words.

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There is a range of effective support for pupils who fall behind with their learning. Staff have detailed knowledge of how the school’s phonics programme works. They help the weakest readers to catch up with their friends. Leaders provide clear information about the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers used this information to make helpful changes to how they teach pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND achieve as well as their peers.

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Some curriculum leaders are new to their roles. They are getting to grips with the school’s established curriculum plans. As a result, some aspects of the curriculum are not implemented quite as well as they normally would be. New leaders are being well supported by senior leaders to ensure the quality of education pupils receive continues to be high.

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Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Clear routines lead to calm, purposeful behaviour, in and out of class. Good behaviour is rewarded. Effective processes deal with poor behaviour, which rarely occurs. Consequently, pupils have positive attitudes towards others and their learning.

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The personal, social and health education of pupils is effective. Pupils study an appropriate range of topics, including rules and rights, emotional well-being and how to keep healthy. Leaders place a high value on pupils having the right knowledge and confidence to take part in British life. Leaders promote and celebrate individuality and difference. For example, the school has been recognised for its approach to inclusion with regard to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender + (LGBT+) communities. 7 October 2021

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Leaders, including those responsible for governance, look after staff well-being and keep a close eye on staff workload. They prioritise staff development. Staff access a range of opportunities tailored to their needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide staff with relevant and up-to-date safeguarding training and information. Procedures for reporting concerns to the safeguarding team are clear. As a result, all staff have a good understanding of how to protect pupils from harm and report concerns, however minor.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding records are detailed and monitored closely. Leaders work closely with relevant partners and agencies to ensure the most vulnerable pupils in the school get the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach pupils about risks to them, whether at school, at home or online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Changes in school curriculum leadership and the disruption of the pandemic have affected the way some curriculum plans are implemented. As a result, pupils’ knowledge in some subjects is weaker than in others. Leaders need to further develop subject leadership so that the curriculum is consistently strong across the school.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2012. 7 October 2021

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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.

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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. 7 October 2021

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School details

Website www.greatstaughton.cambs.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 September 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Great Staughton Primary Academy is part of the Diamond Learning Partnership Trust.  The school has a shared governing body with another local primary school.  The school runs a nursery provision for two- and three-year-olds on the school site. This opened in September 2021.  The school runs both a breakfast and an after-school club.

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders, the chief executive officer and members of both the trust and governing body. They spoke with a range of pupils both in and out of the classroom.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education. They met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ 7 October 2021

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work, spoke with pupils and staff and listened to pupils read. Inspectors also considered curriculum plans and pupils’ work in a number of additional subjects, such as geography and history.  Inspectors viewed a range of school documents, including behaviour records.  To check the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors checked safeguarding records, policies and procedures. The lead inspector met with the headteacher to discuss her work as the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors also checked the understanding of staff about how to keep pupils safe from harm.  Inspectors spoke to parents before school and considered the 16 responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including nine free-text responses.  Inspectors also considered the seven responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and the seven responses to the online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Damian Loneragan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Charlie Fordham Her Majesty’s Inspector 7 October 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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