Five Acres Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Five Acres Primary School East Hawthorn Rd, Ambrosden, Bicester, Oxfordshire OX25 2SN

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Outcome

Five Acres Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love being part of this welcoming and supportive school community. They are thrilled that the activities they enjoyed before the pandemic are available to them again. These include sports, singing, art and trips to local museums.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. They work hard to enable pupils to reach their potential. Pupils develop into responsible and considerate citizens who demonstrate care for their world and for each other. Pupils are friendly, inclusive and keen to learn. They enjoy learning about the wider experiences of forces families and other pupils who have lived overseas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. Classrooms are happy places where everyone can concentrate on their learning. Pupils who need extra help to manage their feelings are given the support they need. Leaders take any incidents of unkind behaviour, including bullying, seriously. They act promptly to investigate and resolve problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils access a broad curriculum. They have memorable experiences and lessons that they enjoy. However, the school’s curriculum is not sufficiently developed in some subjects. This means that pupils do not build up their knowledge and skills as well as they might. Work to further enhance pupils’ learning is underway but needs some more refinement.

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

Leaders have identified the knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. In some subjects, such as mathematics and computing, this is logically ordered. For example, as part of the computing curriculum, children in the early years learn how to give instructions. Pupils in Key Stage 1 explore creating short sequences of instructions for floor robots. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are able to write increasingly complex algorithms for computers. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and they are clear 29 and 30 March 2022

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about the knowledge that is to be taught. They present new learning clearly. Teachers ensure that pupils revisit their previous learning so that they consolidate what they already know. This begins in the early years where children get off to a good start. However, this ambitious and careful sequencing of the curriculum is not consistent across all subjects. Leaders are addressing this.

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All staff at Five Acres are passionate about reading. This infectious enthusiasm is passed on to pupils who often choose to read during their breaktimes. Older pupils relish their roles as librarians and enjoy helping younger pupils to select new reading books. The reading curriculum is sequenced carefully and there is logical progression in terms of gains in knowledge and the development of skills. This helps pupils remember and apply what they have been taught. Throughout the school, there is a strong focus on reading comprehension. This is carefully planned and monitored so that pupils discuss texts thoughtfully and, increasingly, make links from other books and their own life experiences. Leaders have clear expectations of the types of books that pupils should experience and read.

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Leaders have prioritised the teaching of phonics and early reading. As soon as children join the Nursery, they are immersed in stories, songs, rhymes and a rich-language experience. Early reading, including phonics, is taught effectively. However, the books pupils read are not always closely matched to their phonic knowledge. This hinders a few pupils from learning to read as quickly and as fluently as they could. Leaders make sure that older pupils who struggle to read are well supported. They regularly check how well pupils are learning and are quick to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of individual pupils.

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Pupils enjoy learning and have positive attitudes towards school. As a result, learning takes place without disruption. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are proud of their work. Leaders have procedures and support in place, including for the youngest children, to identify their needs and ensure that pupils with SEND can learn alongside their peers in all subjects.

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Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils have a good understanding of British values. Leaders ensure that the school’s ‘Democratic Circle’ gives every pupil the right to speak. Pupils understand, and are respectful of, the differences between faiths and people.

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Governors provide wise and skilled support to school leaders. They are committed to supporting the school’s values. Staff really appreciate the way in which leaders make sure that they have enough time to manage their workload and take care of their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, staff and governors ensure that the safety of pupils is at the forefront of their work. Staff have the knowledge they need to identify pupils who may be at risk. 29 and 30 March 2022

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Safeguarding records are detailed and thorough. Strong communication between staff ensures that concerns are shared swiftly. Leaders ensure that appropriate checks have been carried out before visitors come into the school. Teachers help pupils understand how to keep safe. Safeguarding leaders have a purposeful and professional working relationship with other agencies that protect children. They are not afraid to insist on more help if needed.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Early reading is taught effectively overall, but the books are not well matched to pupils’ phonic knowledge. This means that a few pupils struggle to read fluently. Leaders should ensure that the books pupils read are precisely matched to their phonic knowledge, so that all pupils achieve as well as they can in their reading.  The school’s curriculum, in some subjects, is not sufficiently detailed. This means that, in some subjects, the curriculum does not identify the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn. Leaders must ensure that the planning for these subjects includes sufficient detail to support teachers to plan lessons that are progressive and coherent. Pupils will then be able to build on prior learning to make greater progress.

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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 school to be good on 30 November and 1 December 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. 29 and 30 March 2022

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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. 29 and 30 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10207087 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 30 November – 1 December 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Many governors are recently appointed to the school. They have commissioned a range of external advice and support to ensure that they have a comprehensive understanding of the school’s strengths and steps for further development.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. She looked at relevant documentation, staff recruitment checks and training. She also considered how well adults in the school act on emerging concerns.  Staff’s, pupils’ and parents’ views were gathered through informal discussions with the inspector. She also considered 25 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent 29 and 30 March 2022

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View, including 12 free-text comments. There were 0 responses to the staff survey and 0 replies to the pupil questionnaire.  Meetings were held with leaders and governors, including the chair of governors, as well as with the local authority officer linked to the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, talked to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also spoke with leaders about the curriculum in computing and art. She also looked at pupils’ work and talked to a range of pupils about their learning in these subjects.

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Inspection team

Clare Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 March 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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