Quadring Cowley & Brown's Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Quadring Cowley & Brown’s Primary School Church End, Quadring, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 4SQ

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Outcome

Quadring Cowley & Brown’s Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Quadring Cowley and Brown’s Primary School is a vibrant school. Pupils are happy and enjoy their learning. They told inspectors, ‘Everybody is really friendly and the lessons are fun.’ Pupils are proud of their school. They say that they feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders promote pupils’ personal and academic development. Pupils are highly motivated. They are aspirational. Staff have very high expectations of pupils. Pupils like to work hard and achieve. They enjoy making a positive contribution to the life of the school as mini police officers, well-being leaders and school councillors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and respectful. They behave very well. Pupils really care for each other. One pupil told inspectors, ‘The children here are super nice!’ Pupils know that staff quickly sort out any problems and that bullying is not tolerated. Pupils know what is expected of them. They have a very clear understanding of equality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent, typical of many, said, ‘This is a lovely school that I would highly recommend to anybody in the area.’ Parents appreciate the school’s warm, welcoming environment. Parents also like the broad range of extra-curricular clubs available for pupils.

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

Leaders have developed a strong curriculum in many subjects. The curriculum has been organised to ensure that pupils build their knowledge and skills gradually. Leaders ensure that pupils’ vocabulary develops progressively. Pupils can explain the meaning of complex subject vocabulary. For example, in history, pupils can explain what mummification is when discussing the Ancient Egyptians. Some curriculum thinking is not as ambitious. In some subjects, leaders have not identified precisely the key knowledge that pupils need to learn from Reception to the end of key stage 2. Leaders do not have a consistent approach to checking how successfully pupils learn this important knowledge. 28 April 2022

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Reading is a central priority in the school. From the moment pupils join the school, they learn to read in a very systematic way. The daily phonics sessions are highly structured. Pupils use their decoding skills well to sound out unfamiliar words. Books are matched to the letters and sounds that pupils are learning. Staff regularly check how successfully pupils learn new sounds. They are quick to provide support if pupils fall behind. There is a very strong focus on ensuring that pupils acquire a wide vocabulary in every class. Pupils enjoy reading and talking about books.

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Pupils enjoy mathematics. They explain their learning well using mathematical vocabulary. For example, pupils correctly use ‘area’, ‘perimeter’, ‘centimetres’ and ‘metres’ when they discuss standard measurements. Teachers take the time to explain the learning. They provide regular opportunities for pupils to recap what they have learned. Pupils build their understanding and skills securely.

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Leaders ensure that there is a sharp focus on developing children’s communication and language in the early years. Children work independently on tasks such as segmenting and blending unfamiliar words. They are confident in using vocabulary such as ‘flour’ when discussing the ‘ou’ sound in phonics. Children also remember that flour is used in the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’. Other children know that tadpoles are baby frogs. Staff ask questions which deepen children’s understanding.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the full curriculum. Teachers provide high-quality support and ensure that resources are suited to pupils’ needs. They regularly check how successfully pupils with SEND access the curriculum. Leaders work very well with external agencies and they communicate well with parents.

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The school’s work to enhance pupils’ personal development is of high quality. Leaders support pupils to be confident and to develop strength of character. Pupils know how to eat healthily and keep fit. A high proportion of pupils attend extra-curricular clubs. ‘Motivation Mondays’ inspire pupils and help them to develop resilience. One pupil said, ‘When things are a bit tricky, staff explain it and go through it with you.’ Pupils’ knowledge of different faiths and beliefs is strong. They have a secure understanding of fundamental British values, such as democracy. They show respect for people who may be different from themselves.

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Governors and representatives of the local authority know the school well. They support leaders to develop the curriculum. Leaders engage very well with staff. They provide regular training and consider staff’s well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn how to stay safe. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including when learning online. Pupils told inspectors that they know who to go to if they have a concern. They know that their concerns will be taken seriously. 28 April 2022

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There is a strong culture of care at the school. Leaders provide support to vulnerable pupils. Staff pass on any concerns they may have promptly. Record-keeping is robust. Leaders ensure that they provide regular training for staff and governors. They check that staff know how to spot pupils who may be at risk. Governors regularly check and review the school’s safeguarding procedures.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The key knowledge and content that pupils need to learn in some subjects, such as music and modern foreign languages, is not sufficiently well planned or sequenced. It is not yet fully clear what pupils should learn or by when it should be learned so pupils build their knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans for all subjects set out the knowledge that pupils should know and by when.  The school’s approach to assessment is inconsistent in the wider curriculum subjects. Staff regularly assess what pupils know. However, staff are not always clear about what they are trying to achieve through undertaking such assessments. It is not always clear when teachers use assessment whether they are aiming to help pupils embed knowledge, trying to inform their own teaching, or attempting to understand gaps in learning due to the pandemic. Leaders need to ensure that all staff understand the rationale behind their use of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

assessment and that the use of assessment does not place unnecessary burdens on staff or pupils.

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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 January 2017.

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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. 28 April 2022

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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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. 28 April 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.quadringprimary.co.uk/ Date of previous inspection 31 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2018.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the leader with responsibility for provision for pupils with SEND and a sample of teaching and support staff.  One inspector met with representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 28 April 2022

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 The inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans and documentation relating to attendance and behaviour.  One inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead. He considered the safeguarding policy, training records and examples of safeguarding concerns.  One inspector considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the responses to Ofsted’s free-text service. He also considered the responses to the staff survey and the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Damien Turrell, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jon Brown Ofsted Inspector 28 April 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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