Cockshutt CofE Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Cockshutt CofE Primary School and Nursery Cockshutt, Shrewsbury Road, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 0JE

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in this school feel happy and enjoy school. The relationships between pupils and between adults and pupils are positive. Staff know the children well. Staff go the extra mile to care for the pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils respect each other. If pupils are unkind to each other adults sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for what the pupils can achieve. From an early age pupils learn about different careers. This includes visits from the Royal Air Force.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers many activities beyond lessons in the classroom. This includes forest school, trips to Snowdonia and workshops led by a professional dance company. Pupils value these experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a valued part of the community. There are strong links with the local church. These links help to promote the school’s Christian ethos and values. Activities such as the community lunch bring together pupils from the school and people from the local community. This helps to develop pupils’ knowledge about the local area in the past.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum that pupils follow. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), follow a broad and balanced curriculum. Subjects are well-planned and sequenced. Leaders continually review how subjects are taught and led. Subject leaders take responsibility for their subject across the two federated schools. Leaders say this means that they can share good practice across the two schools. This is a recent change. Also, as part of the 3 November 2021

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curriculum review, some subjects are following new schemes of work. It is too early to see the difference this has made to pupils’ progress. In discussion with the headteacher, the inspectors agreed that looking at how well subject leaders were leading their areas and considering how well the new schemes of work have been embedded may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Children in Nursery get off to a good start. Learning is focused on teaching children through the three prime areas of learning. The teaching of reading begins in Nursery. Children enjoy playing hide and seek in the forest school. This helps them to learn to play alongside others and run safely. Leaders check how well children are developing. Extra help is quickly put into place if needed. This includes the use of movement breaks, sensory circuits and using advice from the speech and language therapist to support pupils’ language development. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Reading is a priority for the school. Every classroom has a reading corner. The school library is an inviting area. An effective reading programme is in place. It begins in the first week of Reception. Leaders regularly check how well pupils are learning to read. When pupils are falling behind, they act quickly to give pupils extra help. As a result, pupils are becoming confident, fluent readers.

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In early years and Year 1, resources are used effectively in mathematics to support pupils’ learning. For example, the use of number lines helps pupils to successfully count on or back. However, this good practice is not yet consistent across all years. For example, a few pupils in Years 2 and 4 lack fluency in their times tables. The subject leader is aware of this. Extra help will be given to those who need it. In addition, leaders say the new scheme of work in mathematics will bring a consistency of approach across all year groups.

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Pupils enjoy learning. They are keen to learn new things. Behaviour in lessons is good. In general, adults have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. This starts in Nursery.

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Leaders promote pupils’ personal development well. For example, pupils in upper key stage 2 are developing links with a school in Blackburn. This will help them to understand the living experiences of the Muslim community.

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Leaders take care of their staff. They consider staff workload. The headteacher encourages staff to take on new roles. Staff value these opportunities, and the support that leaders give them.

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Governors are committed to the school and its pupils. They provide an effective balance of support and challenge to leaders. For example, they made sure that the school development plan has realistic targets that can be measured.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 November 2021

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Staff know pupils well and take their welfare seriously. They quickly report any concerns so that appropriate action can be taken. This action is taken by the school’s safeguarding team, the ‘Caring4Kids’ team. The team works well with external agencies. It ensures that pupils and their families get the help they need when they need it. Parents value this support.

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Leaders are aware of the specific risks pupils face in the local community. They identify pupils who may be vulnerable to these risks and give them extra support. As a result, all pupils say they feel safe in school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The role of the subject leader taking responsibility for their subject across the two federated schools is a recent initiative. Some middle leaders will be better equipped to take on this role than others. Leaders need to ensure that the subject leaders continue to be provided with the appropriate support and training they need to enable them to carry out this role effectively.  Leaders continually evaluate the curriculum provision. As a result, some subjects have recently introduced new schemes of work. Leaders need to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these new schemes to ensure that all pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage of education.

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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 July 2010.

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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. 3 November 2021

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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. 3 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199915 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 6 July 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Mere’s Edge Federation in 2017. The federation consists of two primary schools. The headteacher is the executive headteacher of both schools. The schools share the same governing body.  A Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools, to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a Church of England school, took place in September 2015. The school’s next inspection has been delayed due to COVID-19.

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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 this into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher; other senior leaders; staff; members of the governing body, including the chair; representatives of the local authority and pupils. 3 November 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work. An inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors talked to pupils at unstructured times during the day.  An inspector talked to parents at the school gate.  An inspector evaluated a range of school documents and looked at information on the school’s website.  An inspector checked the single central record and the procedures for the recruitment of staff. She also met with the school’s safeguarding team, including the designated safeguarding lead.  Inspectors reviewed the 10 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. They also considered the 11 responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including six free-text

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Inspection team

Lesley Yates, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ben Cox Ofsted Inspector 3 November 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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