Margaretting Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Margaretting Church of England Voluntary-Controlled Primary School Penny’s Lane, Margaretting, Ingatestone, Essex CM4 0HA

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Outcome

Margaretting Church of England Voluntary-Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embrace the ethos of courageous optimism, boundless creativity and heartfelt compassion at this small, village school. They persevere with learning and take care of each other. They appreciate that their teachers are kind and make lessons interesting for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations of sensible behaviour and hard work. In the early years children learn to listen carefully and share their ideas. Older pupils contribute with enthusiasm and settle quickly to tasks in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe here. From the Reception class, they show consideration for others. In the playground, pupils of all ages mix happily together. Older pupils enjoy the responsibility to act as ‘sports ambassadors’, organising play equipment at breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a well-developed understanding of bullying, including cyber-bullying. Bullying happens very rarely. They are confident that teachers will stop any unkind behaviour straight away. Pupils also learn how to stay safe online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities to develop their interests and talents. Many pupils take part in the after-school clubs. Pupils are proud to represent the school at sporting and music events. They raise funds for charity and older pupils proudly take on positions of responsibility in the school.

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

Leaders, in partnership with other small schools in the trust, have developed a comprehensive and ambitious curriculum. This identifies the most important learning clearly at every stage. The curriculum sets out the small steps that enable pupils to 25 January 2023 achieve well. Leaders enhance the curriculum with carefully planned first-hand experiences and links to partner schools, such as joint history days. The well-planned curriculum and wider experiences combine to provide many opportunities for pupils to broaden their horizons.

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

Teachers have the training they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. In the early years, teachers introduce new ideas clearly. They offer stimulating provision for children to develop their understanding through play. As a result, children build secure foundations in learning. Teachers regularly recap and revisit previous content to ensure understanding before moving on. Pupils develop their knowledge in a logical order as they progress through the school.

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

Well-trained adults teach early reading using phonics from the start of the Reception class. Leaders provide books that are carefully matched to the sounds that children learn. There are plenty of opportunities for children to practise their new skills. Teachers spot pupils who need help to keep up, and they provide extra support. Most pupils learn to read well quickly. Older pupils talk enthusiastically about their favourite authors and the books they enjoy. Teachers introduce pupils to more ambitious texts and different authors in regular class story times.

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

Across the curriculum, teachers check regularly to ensure that pupils remember the content taught. Most pupils who fall behind are supported to keep up. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all aspects of school life. Leaders provide extra help when needed. Additional adults are encouraging and supportive. Consequently, many pupils with SEND achieve well. However, for a few pupils with SEND, learning targets are not precise enough for teachers to plan effectively in order to help them to catch up quickly. Leaders do not check and review these targets swiftly enough. As a result, learning activities are not always well matched to their needs.

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

Leaders plan for pupils’ personal development thoughtfully. Pupils learn about staying healthy through sensible eating, exercise, constructive relationships and taking care of their mental well-being. In the early years, children learn to share equipment and work together. Older pupils learn to recognise and value diversity. They say that everyone is welcome and unkindness is not tolerated here.

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

The school’s values and ethos underpin every aspect of school life. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They show resilience and curiosity in their learning. They praise and encourage each other. Relationships between adults and pupils are respectful. Teachers are quick to spot pupils who are occasionally distracted. Reminders about expectations help these pupils to behave well. As a result, lessons proceed without disruption to learning.

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

Leaders have created a strong, positive culture within the staff team. Adults are proud to work here and feel well supported. Leaders are considerate of staff well-being. Changes to planning and assessment systems have addressed previous concerns about workload effectively. Governors and trustees carry out their statutory roles diligently. They review their own performance and that of the school regularly. They strive for continued improvement and hold leaders to account constructively. 25 January 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to be vigilant for signs of safeguarding concerns. The headteacher knows families well and is approachable for parents with concerns. Pupils are regularly reminded of their trusted adults and the worry boxes in classrooms, so they know how to share any worries.

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Safeguarding

Leaders follow up all concerns promptly. They work effectively with a range of external services.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to stay safe, including online, through the curriculum and assemblies. Recruitment processes are robust. Governors and trustees have a systematic approach to their statutory safeguarding duties. They ensure that agreed processes are followed in school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Systems for monitoring and reviewing how well support for pupils with SEND is matched to their needs are not routinely in place. As a result, a few pupils with SEND do not always get the support they need to achieve well. Leaders should ensure that their checks are regular and sharply focused on the effectiveness of support for these pupils. This includes ensuring that targets are sufficiently clear, provision is consistently well matched to pupils’ needs, and support is routinely reviewed and adjusted.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Margaretting Church of England Voluntary-Controlled Primary School, to be good in December 2017. 25 January 2023

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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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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. 25 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255152 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

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school.  School leaders currently do not use any off-site providers of alternative education.  As the school is designated as having a religious character, it is inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The last section 48 inspection of this school took place in June 2017. The school was graded as ‘good’ in this inspection. The next section 48 inspection will take place within eight years.

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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.  The inspectors met with school leaders, including governors and representatives from the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject 25 January 2023 leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and other staff to discuss safeguarding.  The inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation during the inspection, including school development plans, safeguarding and behaviour records.  The inspectors considered the 12 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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Information about this inspection

including eight free-text comments. They also considered 11 responses to the staff survey. No responses to the pupil survey were received.  The inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a pupil at this school. They also observed the behaviour of pupils at breaktimes and around the school.

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Inspection team

Lynne Williams, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sue Cox Ofsted Inspector 25 January 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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