Orchard Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Orchard Primary School Cherry Orchard, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1ET

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 January 2022

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Outcome

Orchard Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values are aspiration, collaboration, respect, responsibility, and kindness. The positive relationships between staff and pupils, and pupils’ attitude, reflect these values. Pupils get on well with each other and with their teachers. Pupils enjoy school. They feel safe at school because they know that adults at the school care about their well-being.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school started teaching pupils in Years 5 and 6 after it expanded from being a first school to being a primary school in 2019. Leaders and teachers have designed a curriculum that prepares pupils well for secondary education. There is a well-structured approach to learning from Reception to Year 6. Teachers prepare lessons that pupils enjoy and that allow them to make good progress.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school at break and lunchtime. They say that bullying is not a problem. They know that staff would deal with it well if it happened. The school is bigger than it was before becoming a primary school, but parents and pupils say that it has retained its pleasant and caring community atmosphere.

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

Pupils study all the national curriculum subjects in key stage 1 and in key stage 2. Children in the Reception class follow a literacy and numeracy programme that prepares them well for key stage 1. They also follow a programme of activities that supports their personal, social, and emotional development. The curriculum aim is to make sure that all pupils are as well prepared as they can be when they move up each year.

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

Teachers plan lessons that help pupils remember what they learn. In history, for example, pupils often do activities where they have to imagine living in the period they study. In mathematics, lessons start with problems to solve using previous knowledge. Pupils enjoy this way of learning. They work with enthusiasm and behave well in lessons. They make good progress. 11 and 12 January 2022

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Since the school joined a multi-academy trust, teachers have worked with colleagues from the other schools to develop trust-wide systems for assessing pupils’ progress. Systems to check and record progress in English, mathematics and science were developed first and are well established. Interruptions caused by COVID-19 have delayed the development of the assessment systems in other subjects. Leaders of these subjects are aware that they need to catch up. They are in the process of developing systems of checking and recording progress to ensure that they better identify and address misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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Children have phonics lessons as soon as they start in Reception. Teachers and teaching assistants are quick to identify children who have difficulties learning to read. They support them with extra phonics sessions and help them to keep up with the rest of the class. Phonics teaching and support continues throughout Year 1 and Year 2. By Year 3 all pupils are fluent readers. Making sure that pupils learn to read well and enjoy reading is one of the school’s top aims. Teachers read stories to their class every day. They also expect pupils to read at home every day.

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The school offers pupils many opportunities to develop into well-rounded individuals. Pupils can volunteer to be elected to the school council, eco council, or learning council. They can learn a musical instrument or take part in a residential visit to an outdoor activity centre. The school organised a week of activities during Black History Month. Pupils learn about different faiths and are receptive to the need to respect other people’s beliefs and cultures.

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Leaders and staff are proud of the school’s community spirit and inclusive ethos. They want all pupils to enjoy school life to the full and to make progress. They make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get effective support. Teachers and teaching assistants take the needs of pupils with SEND into account when they plan lessons and other activities. The school’s special educational needs coordinator checks that the support that pupils with SEND get is appropriate and effective.

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Leaders and staff work well together as a team. Staff acknowledge that leaders try to ensure that their workload is manageable. They feel that leaders listen to their views and support them well.

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The school benefits from being part of the multi-academy trust. Leaders and staff collaborate across the trust and support each other’s improvement initiatives. Governors and trust directors work well together to support leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All members of staff receive regular training and are vigilant. They are confident to identify and report issues. Leaders work well with families and external agencies to protect children who are at risk. 11 and 12 January 2022

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Leaders and some governors are trained in safer recruitment and in the management of concern about staff.

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Pupils learn about managing risks in their everyday life, including road safety. Staff teach them about using the internet and social media in a safe way, and to avoid inappropriate behaviour.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment is not used as effectively in foundation subjects as it is in English, mathematics and science. Consequently, teachers do not identify and address pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in learning as well as they should. Senior leaders should ensure that assessment is used equally effectively 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 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 predecessor school, Cherry Orchard First School, to be good in April 2016.

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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. 11 and 12 January 2022

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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. 11 and 12 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212188 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 Richard Patterson

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School details

Website http://www.orchardprimary.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 November 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school formed the Avonreach Academy Trust with Norton Juxta Kempsey CofE Primary School, Inkberrow Primary School and Pershore High School on the 1 August 2017.  The school became a primary school in September 2019.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, who is also the designated safeguarding lead (DSL); the acting deputy headteacher; and the special educational needs coordinator. The inspector also spoke with the chair of the governing body, the multi-academy trust’s chief executive officer, and four governors.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history, and mathematics. For each deep dive the inspector 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 pupils’ work. 11 and 12 January 2022

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 The inspector checked safeguarding arrangements and school records. The inspector discussed safeguarding policies and case studies with the DSL. He talked to teachers and other staff about the safeguarding training they had received and how they put this training into practice.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtimes and talked to parents at the end of the school day.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online inspection questionnaire, including written responses. He also considered responses from staff to their online inspection questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Patrick Amieli, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 January 2022

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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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