Colden Common Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Colden Common Primary School Upper Moors Road, Brambridge, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 6HW

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Outcome

Colden Common Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At the start of the day, pupils eagerly make their way across the playground and into class. Their enthusiasm generates a warm and friendly atmosphere which cascades throughout the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They have a strong focus on teaching pupils to be respectful and kind. Pupils play together sensibly at breaktimes, and bullying is not something pupils worry about. They say making friends is easy in this school. They feel safe and cared for. Pupils trust adults to listen to them and help them if they have any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, teachers expect everyone to achieve their very best. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are taught a broad range of subjects. They are proud of their work. This enthusiasm for learning starts from Reception. Children confidently approach visitors to their classroom to talk about and share their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school. All pupils benefit from a range of trips, clubs and residential activities to enhance their learning. Pupils are proud of their school. They spoke with appreciation about the wide range of opportunities they are able to participate in.

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

Leaders have created a broad and ambitious curriculum which is thoughtfully organised and kept under regular review. This makes sure it is relevant and useful for the pupils. Leaders have clearly identified the knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. This is carefully sequenced so that pupils are encouraged to connect what they have learned before to their current learning.

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

Teachers and subject leaders collaborate and regularly review the curriculum offer. This makes sure everyone has strong foundations for their learning across all subjects. From 17 and 18 January 2023

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the start in Reception, skilled adults promote children’s curiosity about the world around them. An example of this is when children were exploring ice that had formed overnight in the outdoor area. They showed fascination in discussing how it had formed from frozen water. They explained to other children that it had frozen because ‘it is very cold because it is winter!’.

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Leaders are quick to identify any additional needs a pupil may have. Staff are skilled in supporting pupils with SEND to learn effectively in class. Because there is well-considered provision in place, pupils access the same learning as others and achieve as well as they can.

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Leaders have made reading a priority. In Reception, children are taught phonics with precision. In key stage 1, the approach to phonics has some inconsistency. Not all staff who are teaching pupils to read have had recent phonics training. Leaders have picked this up and have an action plan to address this. They have also recently invested in increasing the range of books available to help pupils practise their reading. These are mostly matched well to pupils’ abilities, so they support pupils to become fluent and independent readers. Pupils of all ages were keen to discuss their enjoyment of books and stories. They were particularly articulate about some of the new books they had read in classes as part of a recent ‘diversity week’.

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Preparing pupils for the diverse wider world has become a driving focus for leaders. They are beginning to weave this into all aspects of school life. They have identified that not all pupils exhibit a depth of respectful understanding about people who are different from themselves. Leaders rightly see further developing pupils’ understanding of citizenship in modern Britain as a priority.

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Most pupils work hard in lessons and take pride in their work. Behaviour is generally settled in classrooms. Pupils enjoy working together. Staff are quick to intervene when sometimes transitions to outside activities become lively.

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There are a broad range of opportunities for all pupils to enjoy. School councillors, house captains and ‘cyber ambassadors’ are just a few examples of important leadership roles pupils can take on. There is an extensive array of clubs which pupils can attend, including sporting and creative activities. Everyone’s well-being is valued and Gus, the ‘school dog mentor’, plays an important role in this. This includes helping to provide pupils with a calm and purposeful start to their day.

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Governors have an accurate view of the school, and they collaborate well with leaders. They are ambitious for the pupils to flourish and succeed academically and personally. Staff are proud to work here. They appreciate the professional development opportunities they have here. They feel part of a supportive team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a culture of vigilance. All staff have clear training and frequent 17 and 18 January 2023

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updates on important information. This means responsibility for safeguarding pupils is kept uppermost in everyone’s minds. Record-keeping is meticulous, and this ensures leaders form a clear picture of when pupils need help. Leaders are proactive and follow up sensitively on all concerns. This sometimes includes involving external agencies to secure the right help in a timely manner.

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Pupils are taught about online safety and healthy relationships through the curriculum. They trust adults in school to listen to them and help them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that a minority of staff have the necessary subject knowledge and expertise to consistently implement the phonics scheme. This means there is some variability in implementation. Leaders must continue to focus on securing staff’s knowledge so that every pupil learns to read independently and fluently.  Pupils’ depth of knowledge and understanding of different ways of life and equality and diversity needs to be further developed. All pupils need even more quality opportunities to considerately question and debate at a deeper level and engage with beliefs and ways of life that are different from their own. Leaders now need to continue the work they have started to weave valuable learning experiences throughout the curriculum.

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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 third ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 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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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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Hannah Williams and Nicola Mitchell

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 December 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any 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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, teachers and teaching assistants.  The inspector met with governors, including the co-chairs of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and outside during social times. 17 and 18 January 2023

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 The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records and policies, speaking to staff and governors and discussing this with pupils.  The inspector considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including school improvement documentation and governing body minutes.

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Inspection team

Jo Petch, lead inspector His Majesty’s 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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