North Hinksey Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: North Hinksey Church of England Primary School North Hinksey Lane, Botley, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX2 0LZ

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Inspection dates: 16 and 17 November 2021

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and parents describe North Hinksey as a kind community. The school’s values of faith, hope and love filter into all areas of school life. Pupils greet their friends with a cheerful smile and a welcoming wave. Everyone looks out for each other. Pupils understand fundamental British values. One pupil said, ‘Just because someone may be different to us does not mean we should treat them differently’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school. They know that staff are always on hand to help them. Pupils do not worry about being bullied or being treated unkindly because it rarely happens. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful. Pupils look forward to the clubs on offer. They like the multi-sports, violin and sewing clubs. Pupils also enjoy exciting trips to Oxford Library, museums, woodland areas and the farm. The church, which is close by, is a much-valued part of school life. Pupils relish their regular visits, particularly at special celebrations throughout the year.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations. Classrooms are hives of activity. Playtimes are happy social times. Pupils love their forest school. They told the inspector that it is important and teaches them valuable skills such as teamwork and resilience.

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

Leaders and governors have high ambitions for all staff and pupils. Leaders have introduced a challenging and vibrant curriculum. It is well sequenced in all subjects. It sets out clearly the important knowledge and skills pupils should learn well from early years to Year 6. Staff are adept at identifying and providing for the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

There is a rich, positive culture of reading at North Hinskey. Children in Reception Year are introduced to phonics right from the start. Staff use their expert knowledge to check and 16 and 17 November 2021

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provide effective support for children who need to catch up. This means that all pupils learn to read quickly, confidently and with comprehension. The books pupils read help them to practise the sounds they learn in lessons. Pupil love listening to the stories their teachers read to them. At playtimes, pupils often take books to read and share with their friends in the spacious and ever-popular ‘Bug Bungalow’.

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Teachers make sure that what pupils learn in mathematics builds on what they have learned before. This means that pupils can make connections between different concepts. Pupils have the knowledge and confidence to tackle more complex calculations as they move through the school. Children in the early years use their understanding of numbers to set up and solve challenges. For example, children in Reception were carefully counting and programming their ‘robo-bugs’ to make them travel a set distance in a particular direction. Overall, pupils achieve highly in mathematics.

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Teachers plan work that is engaging and enjoyable. In most subjects, including English and mathematics, lessons build on what pupils have learned in the past. Pupils remember what they have been taught previously. They use this knowledge to help them learn new ideas. However, in subjects such as computing and geography, pupils’ learning is not as strong because teachers do not check and make sure that pupils understand and know well the important ideas. They do not help pupils make links in their work. When this happens, some pupils, including those with SEND, struggle to use and apply what they know to new learning. Leaders are providing important training to develop teachers’ expertise across all subjects.

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Leaders and staff skilfully develop pupils’ understanding of the world they inhabit. For example, pupils have opportunities to learn about the importance of democracy, free speech and tolerance. Pupils elect their peers to the school council. They discuss and debate topics such as civil partnership, refugeehood, racism and homelessness with reason and respect for the opinions of others. Pupils are very knowledgeable about diversity in modern Britain.

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Governors and the trust’s chief executive officer share an accurate understanding of what is working well and the areas that need to develop further. Leaders made good use of the training and support provided by specialists within the trust. Staff feel valued and respected. They enjoy working at the school and with each other. They are highly positive about the support that they receive to manage their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors put pupils’ welfare first. Staff receive regular training. Staff know pupils well. They are highly alert and report even the smallest of concerns. Leaders have a robust oversight of pupils’ behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. Leaders are quick to seek advice from other agencies and make referrals in a timely manner. They are persistent in their effort to secure the support that pupils and families need. 16 and 17 November 2021

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Pupils have a strong understanding of the benefits and risks of the internet. They are aware of the dangers of posting things online, including personal information and images.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, such as computing and geography, teachers do not check and help pupils know well the important ideas in much depth. As a result, pupils’ learning is not as secure as it is in other subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide opportunities for pupils to consolidate their knowledge and understanding across all subjects. This will ensure that all pupils learn and achieve as well as they could.

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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, North Hinksey Church of England Primary School, to be good in January 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.

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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. 16 and 17 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10203149 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 As a Church of England school, North Hinksey is part of the Diocese of Oxford. The most recent section 48 inspection was in February 2019.  The deputy headteacher was promoted to her acting role a few weeks before the inspection.  The school does currently not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the acting deputy headteacher, subject leaders and staff.  The inspector evaluated the quality of education by looking in detail at the teaching of early reading, mathematics and computing. The inspector discussed curriculum design with leaders, carried out lesson visits, scrutinised pupils’ work and spoke to pupils and teachers from the lessons visited. 16 and 17 November 2021

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 The inspector evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding and reviewed the school’s single central record. The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and spoke to pupils, staff and parents.  The inspector met with three governors, including the chair of governors. She met with the multi-academy trust’s chief executive and the school improvement partner from the trust.  The inspector made a telephone call to a representative from the Diocese of Oxford.  The inspector considered the views of staff who responded to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  The inspector took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text comments. The inspector met with several parents during the inspection.  The inspector met with pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to them informally about the school.

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Inspection team

Shazia Akram, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector 16 and 17 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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