Cuddington and Dinton CofE School

Inspection of a good school: Cuddington and Dinton CofE School Upper Church Street, Cuddington, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP18 0AP

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Outcome

Cuddington and Dinton CofE School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations and aspire for every pupil to ‘let their light shine’. Pupils live up to these aspirations. They love learning, try their best and are thriving in this happy, village school. Pupils understand the importance of learning and know that this holds the key to future success in life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ethos is founded on the values of respect, love, trust, integrity and belief. These values are lived out through daily life in the school. Relationships are warm and nurturing. Kindness and respect are the norm. One older pupil described kindness as the school’s enduring legacy that she will remember in the future. Pupils behave well and are considerate of each other. They feel safe and cared for well by staff. Bullying is rare. Leaders deal effectively and sensitively with any issues.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils enthuse about their many responsibilities, such as being house captains and school councillors. They appreciate the privilege and responsibility that comes with these. Reading ambassadors like helping in the library and encouraging others to read their recommended books. Pupils are proud of the school, and value the recognition the school has received through awards for sporting achievement and participation.

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

Pupils at this school achieve well, academically and socially. They leave the school fully prepared and confident to embrace the challenge of secondary education. Leaders have put in place an ambitious curriculum that meets pupils’ needs well. They have made conscious decisions about content to broaden pupils’ understanding of the world beyond the locality. Opportunities for pupils to learn about other cultures and countries are woven through many subjects. The school is an inclusive community that welcomes all and celebrates diversity.

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

The curriculum is sequenced coherently. This starts in early years, where children build a strong foundation for future learning. In each subject and area of learning, leaders have 17 and 18 January 2023

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planned pupils’ progression through the curriculum. However, in a minority of subjects, leaders have not been clear enough about the precise knowledge that pupils need to learn. Sometimes, leaders have included too much content for teachers to cover and for pupils to learn and remember.

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Reading is taught well, and most pupils learn to read quickly. Phonics teaching gets going as soon as children join Reception. Through key stages 1 and 2, pupils build on this good start. Staff keep on top of how well pupils are doing. They are quick to identify and address any gaps in their knowledge. However, the extra support for pupils who are finding it hard to keep up is not as effective as it could be.

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Through the school’s use of many high-quality texts, pupils acquire new vocabulary and develop their understanding well. Pupils learn to love reading. Staff read to pupils every day and ignite pupils’ curiosity about books. Pupils learn that through reading they can discover new worlds, go back in time and learn new things. One pupil described how reading can ‘take you to different places’.

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There are many strengths in teaching in the school. Staff have high expectations. They use, and expect pupils to use, ambitious vocabulary. Typically, staff build on pupils’ prior knowledge so that they can connect with and build on what they already know. Staff regularly adjust what they are teaching to take account of pupils’ understanding. Any additional needs are quickly identified. Staff and leaders support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They also ensure that pupils with SEND are fully included in the life of the school.

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Pupils benefit from many enrichment activities, which contribute exceptionally well to their personal development. These include visits to places far and wide, and special events, like the May Day celebrations. A wide range of clubs are on offer, including sports clubs, along with the opportunity to take part in inter-school competitions. Pupils are encouraged to help others through charitable events. These include the Year 6 project that challenges pupils to grow a profit from a £5 ‘investment’, which is donated to the charity of their choice.

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The school is well led and managed. Leaders’ and governors’ decision-making is based on what serves the best interests of pupils. Staff thoroughly enjoy working at the school and value leaders’ consideration of their well-being and workload. Professional growth and collaborative working are an integral part of the culture of the school. Staff are highly committed to improving their own practice. They draw on their training and research to trial new ideas and develop their expertise.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that safeguarding and pupils’ well-being are priorities for everyone in school. Regular training ensures that staff know what to be alert to and how to respond to any concerns. They fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities well. Leaders understand local safeguarding arrangements and thresholds of need. When needed, they swiftly refer 17 and 18 January 2023

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their concerns to other agencies. Leaders pursue concerns so that families get timely help and support. During the inspection, leaders took prompt action to rectify a number of minor administrative errors in the school’s record-keeping.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s support and guidance for some pupils who need extra help to keep up with the school’s phonics programme are not fully effective. This risks pupils not catching up as quickly as they could. Leaders should strengthen the guidance and help for these pupils so that they are supported consistently well.  In a minority of foundation subjects, leaders have not identified precisely enough the most essential knowledge they wish teachers to emphasise. This means that staff do not have quite enough guidance, and sometimes try to cover too much content. Leaders need to further refine the curriculum and provide clearer guidance to staff about the most important knowledge, skills and concepts they would like staff to teach and emphasise.

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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 September 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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.cuddingtonanddintonschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is based on two sites in the villages of Cuddington and Dinton. Younger pupils in key stage 1 and early years are based at Cuddington. Pupils in key stage 2 are based at Dinton. The two villages are approximately two and a half miles apart.  The school currently uses one registered alternative provider.  The school has a religious character as a Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxford. The most recent section 48 inspection took place on 29 November 2018. The next section 48 inspection will take place within eight years of the date of this inspection.

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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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about 17 and 18 January 2023

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their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also heard some pupils read. Inspectors met with leaders to discuss the curriculum and sampled pupils’ work in history and art and design.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors considered a wide range of documents and records and spoke with staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead, who is also the headteacher.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher and the leader for SEND.  The lead inspector met with four governors, including the chair of the governing body. She held an online meeting with a representative from the local authority and a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents through their responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and parents’ free-text comments.  Inspectors took account of staff’s views during meetings with them. They gathered

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pupils’ views through meetings, visits to lessons and during other times of the school day.

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Inspection team

Sue Cox, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachel Roberts Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 January 2023

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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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