Shellingford Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School

Inspection of a good school: Shellingford Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School Church Street, Shellingford, Faringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 7QA

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Outcome

Shellingford Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy attending. Pupils say that they feel safe and know that the adults will look after them. Staff and pupils get on extremely well together and treat each other with courtesy and respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils and want pupils to be ambitious for themselves. Leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum in most subjects. This allows children in early years and pupils throughout the school to do well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils’ behaviour is managed consistently and fairly across the school. In lessons and around the school site, pupils behave well. Pupils work hard and concentrate on their learning. Pupils work and play well together. School leaders take bullying very seriously. If it happens, it is dealt with effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A range of enrichment activities, such as after-school clubs, allow pupils to develop their talents and wider interests. Pupils have many opportunities to learn about the world beyond the school. They learn about a range of different faiths and cultures. Pupils hold many positions of responsibility. These include being a reading ambassador, or helping the staff to promote a love of, and interest in reading.

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

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. It introduces pupils to new learning in a logical order. Teachers plan lessons that help pupils to build their knowledge systematically over time. Leaders have set out clearly the knowledge that pupils will gain in most subjects, at each stage of their education. The early years curriculum is sequenced well. It outlines what children should know and be able to do at different points of Reception Year. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the help they need to learn across subjects. 8 June 2022

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Pupils revisit and practise what they have been taught, which helps them remember more of their learning. Pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. For example, pupils in Year 6 had an impressive vocabulary when discussing the different techniques that they used when creating clay objects. However, in some subjects, such as design and technology, leaders have not yet identified precisely enough the essential knowledge that pupils need to know.

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Leaders ensure that children make an early start in learning to read in the Reception class. Children enjoy sharing books and actively seek out adults to tell them the sounds that letters represent. The teaching of phonics is effective. Reading books are accurately matched to pupils’ reading ability and the sounds that they are learning. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to practise reading skills and listen to stories read by staff throughout the school day. This helps pupils to become fluent readers. If pupils fall behind, staff provide them with extra phonics sessions and times to read aloud to an adult.

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Teachers use assessment well to check what pupils understand. This enables staff to know what pupils need to learn next. Staff across the school take prompt action to address any misunderstandings pupils have. This helps pupils to keep up with the expectations that leaders have set for them. In the Reception class, the staff have an acute awareness of what children can do right from the time they start school. Pupils across the school with SEND are quickly and accurately identified. Staff make thoughtful adaptations to the tasks that pupils with SEND tackle.

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Leaders and staff have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Learning flows uninterrupted. Staff have exceptionally positive and warm relationships with pupils. This means that pupils respond very well to what staff ask of them when working in lessons and at other times during the school day.

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Leaders have developed a wide range of opportunities to broaden pupils’ experiences beyond the academic curriculum. Leaders promote pupils’ personal development well, including through the school’s Christian values that are central to the school’s work. The school provides many opportunities that develop pupils’ character and sense of responsibility. For example, pupils are members of the school council. In this role, they make important decisions about how the school’s resources are used and organised. Pupils relish challenge. They understand the importance of persevering with their learning. Pupils want and expect learning to make them think hard.

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Staff feel supported by leaders. They say that their workload is thought about carefully. Leaders are aware of, and proactive in supporting staff, particularly at busy times of the school year.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are vigilant. Leaders train staff regularly so that they know how to keep pupils safe. They understand how to report and record any 8 June 2022

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concerns that they may have about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders follow up quickly on all concerns raised by staff. When required, leaders work closely with external agencies to ensure that children and their families get the help they need. Leaders challenge other professionals if they feel that additional action is required.

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Leaders ensure that the statutory pre-employment checks on staff are carried out. These are recorded methodically.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a very small minority of subjects, the key knowledge that pupils should acquire is not identified in sufficient depth. This means that pupils do not always achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to make more clear what pupils should know 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 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 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 June 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

7 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  This is a Church of England primary school. The school’s most recent section 48 Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools took place in May 2017.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, a senior leader, subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. An inspector had a meeting with six governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors spoke with staff to discuss workload, well-being and safeguarding.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of 8 June 2022

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lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also looked at curriculum planning in other subjects.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their learning, safety and behaviour.  Documentation relating to safeguarding was scrutinised by inspectors.  Inspectors took account of the 22 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments.

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Inspection team

Richard Blackmore, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Brinkley Ofsted Inspector 8 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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