Farcet CofE (C) Primary School

Inspection of Farcet CofE (C) Primary School St. Marys Street, Farcet, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE7 3AR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 9 and 10 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Farcet CofE Primary School is a happy, caring place to learn. Pupils, and children in the early years, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy school and the opportunities on offer. They take pride in their work, appreciate the support from their teachers and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value their friendships and treat each other with respect. They are considerate of the needs of others. Most pupils live up to the high expectations staff have of them. The consequences of not following rules are well understood. Pupils are confident that teachers will deal with any issues as they arise. They understand what bullying is and know that it is rare in their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like getting ‘caught being good’ tokens, receiving house points and doing reading challenges. Older pupils relish taking turns as house captains. Pupils like to lead assemblies and stand for a position on the school council. They have regular visits from members of the community, which broaden their knowledge of the area they live in.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and speak confidently about having trusted adults to talk to. They use the ‘worry box’ if they have a concern and know that their views are listened to.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. They have made sure that teachers are clear about the important content to teach in all subjects and when. Staff have consistently high expectations about what pupils can achieve. Pupils have regular opportunities to revisit prior learning. Consequently, they are able to remember more over time. In science, for example, they build each year on their knowledge of the solar system and space.

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better?

In some subjects, such as history, leaders have planned for the curriculum to allow pupils to explore concepts such and monarchy. Pupils are taught to deepen their knowledge by making connections with other areas of learning, for example democracy. However, this work is not yet fully developed across the whole curriculum, so some pupils do not understand these broader subject concepts well.

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better?

Reading is a priority across the whole school. Phonics is taught well so that children in the early stages of learning to read become fluent and successful readers quickly. Teachers think carefully about the texts they share with pupils and the books they want pupils to read. Pupils enjoy reading. They talk confidently about authors they like and the reading challenges they complete. Teachers ensure that pupils who fall behind get the support they need. Teachers plan reading opportunities in all subjects and ensure pupils are taught a wide vocabulary to apply in all aspects of their learning. 9 and 10 June 2022

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Children in the early years benefit from carefully considered and engaging learning opportunities, such as writing to, and receiving a letter from, the Queen. Their detailed drawings of Buckingham Palace allowed them to apply their fine motor skills, which they had been working on improving. Staff have adapted the curriculum to meet individual children’s needs and interests and children are well prepared for Year 1.

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Pupils with SEND are well supported to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Leaders ensure pupils with more complex needs are given personalised support, including from external agencies. Leaders regularly check support plans and make any changes needed. Therefore, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils behave well across the school, both in and out of lessons. Leaders establish high expectations and teachers apply these consistently. The few pupils who struggle to meet the standard of behaviour expected are well supported to improve their behaviour.

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Staff prioritise pupils’ personal development. They ensure that the curriculum is well planned to allow opportunities for pupils’ social, moral, cultural and spiritual development. Pupils understand world religions. They talk enthusiastically about visits from the clergy and The Salvation Army. They can explain their understanding of their local context, such as the farming community. Pupils feel their views are listened to through the school council. Leaders are now relaunching some wider opportunities such as trips and clubs which were postponed due to the pandemic. A few parents would like to see more clubs on offer. Some parents are not aware of the wider opportunities provided for their children within the school curriculum.

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Leaders have benefited from training from the trust. This partnership has contributed appropriately to the development of the quality of the curriculum now in place. Governors know the school well and perform their statutory duties effectively. Parents are typically positive about the school. However, a few feel that communication could be improved and that concerns raised could be addressed more quickly by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the single central record of employee checks is maintained and regularly reviewed. Staff have regular safeguarding training. They are kept up to date by leaders, including on safeguarding issues relevant to their local context. Staff know how to identify and report concerns. Leaders are vigilant in their follow- up of concerns. They are tenacious in securing relevant support for vulnerable pupils. 9 and 10 June 2022

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Curriculum content supports pupils to stay safe online and to understand healthy relationships. All pupils said they had trusted adults they could talk to and knew they would be listened to.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum, the opportunities they seek for pupils to link and apply the knowledge they are gaining across subjects have not fully evolved. Consequently, some pupils in some year groups do not yet fully understand the meaning of concepts, such as ‘empire’. Leaders need to ensure that pupils understand the connections between different aspects of their learning so that they develop a deep understanding of the concepts leaders want them to know.  Most parents appreciate the quality of education that the school provides. However, a few feel that their views could be responded to more quickly. Leaders need to consider how to further develop communication with parents and to seek additional opportunities to engage with them so that they feel they are better informed.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 9 and 10 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227597 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

 Farcet CofE Primary school is a smaller than average primary school.  The school is a voluntary controlled Church of England primary school. It had its last section 48 inspection on 20 June 2019. Section 48 inspections take place every five years.  The school joined the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust in February 2018.  The school has a breakfast club and after-school club onsite, managed by school leaders.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 9 and 10 June 2022

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders and teachers.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history and music. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke to curriculum leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, looked at pupils’ workbooks and spoke with teachers they had seen teach. Inspectors were accompanied by leaders for some lesson visits and for some conversations with pupils.  Inspectors met representatives from the academy trust, including the chief executive officer and the director of education. They also met with members of the local governing body.  Inspectors looked at the arrangements for safeguarding, including the single central record of recruitment checks.  Inspectors spoke with leaders about the systems and processes to support safeguarding, and the safeguarding ethos in the school.  Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, including those who oversee provision for

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pupils with SEND.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the 21 free-text comments by parents.

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Sim Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 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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