Stone with Woodford Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Stone with Woodford Church of England Primary School Stone, Berkeley, Gloucestershire GL13 9JX

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Ofsted has not previously inspected Stone with Woodford Church of England Primary School as an academy school under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school. 1 and 2 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Stone with Woodford Church of England Primary School is welcoming and friendly. Staff and pupils describe the school community as ‘a family’. Pupils enjoy coming to school, and staff are proud to work at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are considerate and respectful of each other and their differences. They are polite and often behave well around the school. Mostly, pupils get on with their learning in lessons. However, sometimes pupils do not follow instructions well and learning is disrupted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. Children in the early years are well looked after by adults at the school. Pupils are tolerant and keen to learn about different beliefs and values. Bullying is rare, but if it occurs, pupils know it will be dealt with quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy reading and many develop a love of reading. However, the reading curriculum does not help all pupils to recall what they have learned. Pupils are keen to talk about their learning, but they do not always learn important content well enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to develop their interests. They talk enthusiastically about visits to literary festivals, meeting authors, residential trips and representing the school in sporting activities.

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better?

The headteacher has an ambitious vision for the school. He has begun to make the right improvements to the school, prioritising safeguarding and the curriculum. This is welcomed by staff and acknowledged by parents.

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better?

Staff have worked together to lead and develop the subject curriculums. In core subjects, such as mathematics, staff have sound subject knowledge. However, they do not have a secure understanding of what makes a strong curriculum. Leaders and staff have not identified the essential knowledge from early years onwards that pupils need to know, or the best order in which to learn important content. As a result, pupils do not have a secure base on which to build and deepen their knowledge.

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better?

Leaders understand the importance of reading. They have implemented a new systematic approach to the teaching of reading. However, the curriculum is not delivered as leaders intend. As a result, pupils do not always recall and use important phonic knowledge to read accurately. Pupils’ books are usually matched to their phonic knowledge. However, when they are not, pupils struggle to decode words or develop fluency in reading. 1 and 2 November 2022

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Staff use assessment well in core subjects to check on pupils’ starting points. However, assessment in other subjects is undeveloped. Teaching does not always check effectively what pupils know and can do. For example, checks on how well pupils are learning to read, or their development of historical knowledge, are not precise. This means that pupils’ difficulties are not always spotted and addressed as they occur.

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The school’s expectations of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not high enough. While new leadership of SEND is addressing this, it is early days. The school’s curriculum is not sufficiently adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND, including in the early years. Staff know pupils well. However, teachers do not always know how to adapt the curriculum so that pupils with SEND learn as well as they could.

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Many pupils behave well at school and are keen to get on with their learning. However, sometimes pupils get distracted from their learning. This usually occurs when the curriculum is not planned carefully enough to meet pupils’ needs. Leaders take attendance seriously. They have developed a new system to promote better attendance. This is in its infancy and is yet to have the desired impact.

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There is a well-structured curriculum to support pupils’ wider development, from early years onwards. Staff adapt the personal, social and health education programme well so that it is responsive to pupils’ needs. In the early years, children are carefully taught the language of emotions so they learn to recognise and manage their feelings. Older pupils learn about sensitive topics in a supportive environment and at a time that is right for them. Teaching of personal development helps pupils to understand and to recall important content.

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Staff, including those early in their career, feel well supported. Leaders and governors are mindful of staff well-being and workload. While governors are supportive of leaders and other staff, they do not have a realistic understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher has recently improved safeguarding systems to strengthen record- keeping. Staff receive regular training and safeguarding updates. They know pupils well and know how to identify and raise concerns. Leaders take appropriate action when dealing with safeguarding concerns.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to stay safe, including online. They say there is always someone to talk to if they have any concerns.

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 The expectations for pupils with SEND are not high enough. Teaching and the curriculum are not adapted effectively to meet their needs. This means pupils with SEND do not do as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils with SEND.  Curriculum leaders do not have a secure understanding of what makes a strong curriculum. The curriculum does not identify the essential knowledge pupils need to know. As a result, pupils do not build and deepen their knowledge. Sometimes pupils get distracted from their learning. This usually occurs when the curriculum is not planned carefully enough to meet pupils’ needs. Leaders should ensure that staff develop their curriculum understanding so they can strengthen the curriculum accordingly.  Assessment is not always used effectively. Teaching does not routinely check pupils’ learning. This means that pupils’ difficulties are not always spotted and

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addressed as they occur. Staff need to make better use of assessment to check the impact of the curriculum more effectively.

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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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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. 1 and 2 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10256641 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website http://www.stone-with- woodford.gloucs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Stone with Woodford Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy school in August 2013. When its predecessor school, Stone with Woodford Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  There have been recent changes to staffing at the school. The headteacher took up post in April 2022 and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) took up post in September 2022.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school is much smaller than the average primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is well below that found nationally.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is well above average.  The school is in the Diocese of Gloucester. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in June 2019. 1 and 2 November 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior teachers and representatives of those responsible for governance. Meetings were also held with class teachers and the SENCo.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead, examined school records and discussed safeguarding cases.  Inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. Inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning, listened to pupils read, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke on the telephone to a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors considered responses to the staff and pupil surveys and to the online

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Information about this inspection

survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses from parents.

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Inspection team

Tracey Reynolds, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sean McKeown Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 November 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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