Cookham Dean CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cookham Dean CofE Primary School Bigfrith Lane, Cookham Dean, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 9PH

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Outcome

Cookham Dean CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe at Cookham Dean. They value the highly supportive environment of the school, saying, ‘There’s always someone I can count on if I’m sad or worried.’ They agree that the school’s vision, ‘Where we all flourish’, is at the heart of this vibrant school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in early years enjoy an excellent start to their school life due the engaging curriculum that is expertly delivered by staff. Every pupil at Cookham Dean, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), is expected to achieve highly. Staff are successful at making this happen. Pupils are keen learners who try their best and enjoy their lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils know how to spot the different kinds of bullying. They say that all staff will take reports of bullying seriously and act quickly to sort out any incidents that occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders promote pupils’ personal development well. Pupils develop resilience and strength of character through a range of challenging activities such as abseiling on school trips and working as lunchtime helpers. They know that overcoming challenges brings a positive sense of achievement.

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

Leaders have high aspirations for pupils’ academic and personal development. They have ensured that the curriculum planning provides clear information on the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn and the order in which it should be taught. This begins in the early years. Leaders enrich the school’s curriculum offer through visits to museums, galleries, the theatre and local places of interest. Curriculum leaders have secure knowledge about their areas of responsibility. They share their expertise with teachers to ensure that everyone has the support they need to teach well. 8 and 9 June 2022

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However, in a few of the foundation subjects, the work given to pupils is not as demanding as it could be. It does not always meet the ambitious aims of the intended curriculum. Where this is the case, pupils are not encouraged to think as deeply about their learning as they could. They are not taught to apply their new knowledge to what they already know.

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Teachers routinely check what pupils know already. They are skilled at helping pupils to keep up by providing individual help and support when it is needed. Staff are adept at identifying pupils with SEND and providing them with the help and resources they need to enable them to learn well.

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Pupils get off to an excellent start with learning to read. Leaders introduced a new scheme for phonics in September 2021. This means that there is consistency across the school. Teachers deliver the phonics programme well. In the Reception class, children quickly get to know letters and sounds and how to blend them together to make words. Pupils become increasingly confident readers by the time they leave key stage 1. Leaders have invested in books that correspond to the scheme. These books are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils have been taught and know. Pupils who struggle to read benefit from additional support from well-trained adults. This builds their confidence and increases their fluency in reading.

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Pupils in key stage 2 speak positively about reading in school. They are keen to read to adults and talk about their class texts. Leaders carefully choose books that link to learning in other lessons. This supports pupils in developing their vocabulary and applying this across the curriculum. As a result, pupils gain the knowledge and skills to become confident and fluent readers.

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Pupils behave well and they attend school regularly. They are polite and courteous. They listen carefully in lessons and are keen to participate in all that the school offers. Staff skilfully manage any incidents so that poor behaviour rarely disrupts learning.

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The personal development of pupils is very important in this school. Leaders focus on how to provide enriched experiences for all pupils. There is a school council and pupils hold a range of responsibilities such as collective worship leaders and ‘Eco-warriors’. They are proud of their achievements. These include reducing waste in the village by promoting recycling and re-using. Pupils take part in an interesting range of after-school clubs such as tennis and the Wilderness club. Leaders prioritise supporting pupils with their attitudes towards learning and in developing future aspirations.

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Governors are very ambitious for pupils’ academic and social success. They visit the school regularly and provide challenge and support in equal measure. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel strongly supported by leaders and governors in managing their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 8 and 9 June 2022

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Staff understand how to report a concern about pupils’ welfare and they consistently follow up on concerns they have raised. Staff put a great deal of time and effort into building and maintaining trusting relations with parents and carers. This means that concerns are identified at an early stage and pupils receive help quickly. Leaders make sure that all staff keep up to date with guidance to help them understand risks to which pupils might be exposed. Pupils are taught about how to stay safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few of the foundation subjects, the work given to pupils is not as demanding as it could be. It does not always reflect the ambitious aims of the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not learn as much as leaders intend. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans are fully implemented in all subjects across the school to deepen pupils’ knowledge.

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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 May 2012.

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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 . 8 and 9 June 2022

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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. 8 and 9 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227207 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 8 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Cookham Dean Church of England Primary School is a smaller than average-sized school.  The school does not use 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 school leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation.  The inspector carried out deep dives in mathematics, reading and art. For each deep dive, she 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.  The inspector also looked at the curriculum plans, spoke to leaders about some other subjects and looked at samples of topic work.  The inspector visited early years provision. 8 and 9 June 2022

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 The inspector heard pupils in different year groups read books and visited phonics sessions.  The inspector met with representatives of the local governing body and a local authority representative.  The inspector considered a wide variety of school documents, including the school improvement plan.  The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead, looked at records and scrutinised the school’s safeguarding practice.

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Inspection team

Clare Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 June 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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