Fulbourn Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Fulbourn Primary School School Lane, Fulbourn, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB21 5BH

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Outcome

Fulbourn Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The relationships between pupils and staff are warm and welcoming. Pupils have a trusted adult to talk to if they have any worries. Older pupils act as mentors and ambassadors to the younger pupils. This teaches them responsibility and helps all pupils to feel safe and part of the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the high expectations that adults have for them academically and socially. Pupils enjoy learning new information and skills, including, for example, how to make leaf prints and mosaics in art, and learning about the work of Florence Nightingale in history. Pupils attend a wide range of enrichment opportunities such as cooking and sports. This allows them to develop their interests and skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The vast majority of pupils behave well in lessons and social time. Pupils are polite and friendly and move around the school in a calm and orderly way. They display kindness and good manners, such as holding doors open for others. This helps to create a positive school experience. At play time, pupils enjoy the well-equipped outdoor space and the range of supervised activities that are provided. They like playing games with each other and being active and healthy outdoors.

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

Leaders have planned their curriculums carefully to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers are well trained in delivering the curriculum so that pupils develop their skills and knowledge over time. Strategies such as the ‘flip-flop’ structure are effective at allowing mixed-age classes to receive high-quality instruction at their different curriculum stages. For example, in Year 5/6 mathematics, classes received the same initial input where they practised times tables to support their mathematical fluency. Teachers then delivered targeted sessions to each year group. This ensured that pupils received content specific to their age and level of understanding. 4 and 5 October 2022

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Leaders have ensured that teachers usually check accurately what pupils know and have learned. Teachers use this information well to deepen pupils’ understanding, or to adapt their teaching based on gaps or misconceptions. Teachers have ensured that pupils have sufficient opportunities to revisit their work when needed. This ensures that pupils have a secure understanding of important knowledge. In some subjects, leaders need to assure themselves that teachers check that all pupils have a deep understanding of core content. This will ensure that potential gaps in understanding are addressed quickly.

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Leaders have made sure that reading is a priority. Staff training is of high quality. This ensures that teachers promptly identify pupils who fall behind with their phonics. Teachers then support these pupils to catch up quickly. Pupils read every day and enjoy the daily story that is read to them by their teacher. There is a well-stocked library for pupils, and a range of reading nooks around the school, which pupils use and enjoy. This ensures that pupils are excited to read, and they talk about reading with enthusiasm.

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Leaders in early years have a secure understanding of how to ensure all children make good progress in their learning and development. Leaders have trained staff to have purposeful interactions with the children. Relationships between children and adults in Reception are very strong. Staff are patient and caring. Children benefit from a very well- equipped environment which supports high-quality active learning. This helps to develop children’s confidence and enjoyment while playing and exploring.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Low-level disruption is rare. Pupils are supported to work independently and in groups. The majority of pupils manage their behaviour very well. This allows pupils to concentrate on their work and not fall behind. Sometimes, a small minority of pupils can disrupt the learning of others. These pupils benefit from additional support from well-trained staff to help them regulate their behaviour.

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Leaders, including governors, have worked closely with the community to ensure all pupils can access a broad extra-curricular offer. Leaders are proactive in ensuring that all groups of pupils are supported to attend clubs. This means that the majority of pupils benefit from activities such as dodgeball, maths problem-solvers, archery or forest school. These opportunities support pupils to develop their social and communication skills as well as their confidence and well-being.

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Governors are well trained and have appropriate expertise to fulfil their statutory duties and support the effective leadership and management of the school. Parents are very positive about their children’s experience in school. Some parents would welcome more communication regarding what their children are learning and upcoming activities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the necessary checks are made when appointing adults to work with children. All staff and governors are trained effectively to identify any pupil who may be at risk of harm. Leaders are quick at securing help for any pupil who may benefit from 4 and 5 October 2022

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additional support, and they liaise closely with key safeguarding partners. Staff are trained in how to raise any safeguarding concerns and feel confident in doing so. Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to stay safe online and offline at a level that is appropriate to their age.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders and staff use a variety of approaches to communicate with families to ensure they feel included in the school community. Some families would like clearer information about what their children are learning at school so they can support them further at home. Leaders need to review their procedures for communication and ensure parents are confident in the information they are given.  Leaders have ensured that core knowledge is clearly defined and understood by all teachers in many subjects. Teachers are then able to use assessment accurately to support pupils’ learning. In some foundation subjects, procedures for checking that pupils know and understand the core content are less clear. Leaders need to ensure that teachers consistently check that pupils have learned the required content.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2011.

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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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 4 and 5 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10200194 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 11 October 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher moved from being co-headteacher to substantive headteacher in January 2022.  The school does not currently make use of 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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and the assistant headteacher as well as governors and the local authority adviser.  The inspector carried out deep dives in mathematics, early reading and art. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector also listened to a range of pupils read. 4 and 5 October 2022

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 The inspector met with members of the pastoral team and the leader for early years.  The inspector scrutinised the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. She also met with the designated safeguarding lead and reviewed safeguarding records. She spoke to governors, staff and pupils about safeguarding procedures.  The inspector met with a group of representatives from the student council.  The inspector reviewed 87 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 40 free-text responses. She also reviewed 25 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 21 pupil responses to Ofsted’s online survey.

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Inspection team

Bessie Owen, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 4 and 5 October 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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