Corringham CofE VC Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Corringham CofE VC Primary School Middle Street, Corringham, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 5QS

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Outcome

Corringham CofE VC Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between adults and pupils are positive at Corringham Primary. Pupils are considerate. They make sure that no one is left out. As one pupil said: ‘Everyone gets on with each other. There’s always someone to help if you’re lonely or upset.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is consistently positive. Poor behaviour is very rare. When it does occur, pupils say that they are able to ‘sort it out ourselves’. They add that adults are always on hand to help out if needed. Pupils relish the awards that they can earn. They are proud to receive a headteacher’s award in Friday’s achievement assembly. Pupils value golden time. They say that their class charters help them to understand what good behaviour looks like.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy making a positive contribution to their school and community. They are proud of the fundraising work for charity that the school council organises. The digital leaders take their roles seriously and are motivated by trips to see new technology in action.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s garden creates a buzz of excitement. Pupils enjoy spending time there. They talk with pride about the vegetables that they have grown. Pupils enjoy working alongside members of the wider community.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is tailored specifically for the pupils at the school. The vast majority of the curriculum is well planned and sequenced. It makes clear what pupils will study in each subject, at each stage of their education. It enables pupils to incrementally build on what they know and can do. However, a significant proportion of the curriculum is relatively new. Leaders have not yet checked on how effectively a few subjects are being taught. This means that they cannot be sure how well pupils learn content. Additionally, in some subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the precise knowledge that pupils are expected to learn. This means that leaders are not checking precisely how well pupils remember content. 2 February 2023

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A new phonics programme has been recently introduced. It is working well. Staff training has resulted in phonics being taught consistently well. Pupils systematically learn new sounds and use these to help them read new and unfamiliar words. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the programme. As a result, pupils soon begin to read with increasing fluency.

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Over time, pupils develop an appreciation of reading. They know why it is important. Pupils enjoy reading a wide range of books and authors. However, the school’s reading curriculum is not consistently sequenced. In some places, it does not set out precisely enough what pupils should learn at each stage of their education.

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Children in the early years enjoy learning and playing together. They get on well with each other and the adults they work with. Children are well cared for. The curriculum is well planned and sequenced. There is clarity about what children should achieve, term by term, across each of the areas of learning.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well catered for. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) makes sure that these pupils’ needs are fully understood. They carry out regular checks to make sure that the help in place is working effectively for pupils with SEND.

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Pupils are taught to be respectful. They understand that everyone should be treated fairly. One pupil explained: ‘Everyone is treated equally here.’ Older pupils understand protected characteristics and what these mean in law. Pupils make good use of the extra-curricular activities on offer, including learning to play the ukulele, choir and sporting activities.

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Senior leaders know their school well. They have created a united and cohesive staff team. As one member of staff told inspectors: ‘It’s like coming to another home. The ethos and support make it a lovely place to work.’ Parents are unanimously positive about the school. One parent summed up many when they said: ‘The school is doing an amazing job. My children love going to school. That’s down to all the staff.’

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Governors are fully supportive of the school. They understand the part it plays in the local and wider community. However, the governing body does not use the full range of information available to them to guide their work. This means that they miss some opportunities to challenge leaders further and to hold them to closer account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that keeping pupils safe is at the top of their agenda. A comprehensive training programme ensures that all staff understand the wide range of risks that pupils might face. They know what to look out for. Staff record all concerns, regardless of how minor they might appear. Leaders use these to build more detailed pictures over time. 2 February 2023

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Where it is needed, leaders take swift action to keep pupils safe. They work effectively with other agencies.

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The statutory record of checks on people who work at the school is comprehensive and well maintained.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s reading curriculum is not consistently sequenced. In some places, it does not set out precisely enough what pupils should learn at each stage of their education. Leaders should ensure that the reading curriculum is fully planned and sequenced.  A significant proportion of the curriculum is new and at an early stage of implementation. Leaders have not yet checked to see that it is being implemented effectively. Leaders should ensure that the full breadth of the curriculum is implemented effectively and results in pupils knowing and remembering content.  In some subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the precise knowledge that pupils are expected to learn. This means that leaders cannot check that pupils learn and remember content over time. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum, across all subjects, makes clear the most important content that pupils should know and remember.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Governors do not use the full range of information available to them to guide their work. This means that they miss opportunities to hold leaders to account. Governors should ensure that they use the full range of information available to them to provide rigorous challenge and support to school leaders.

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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 February 2013. 2 February 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. 2 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10254936 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 23 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Lincoln. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place on 21 September 2016.  The school does not use any alternative education providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the SENCo and the early years leader.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. An inspector listened to pupils read. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation for modern foreign languages, art, computing, and personal, social and health education. 2 February 2023

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 The lead inspector met with three representatives of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair. Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The lead inspector met with safeguarding leaders. He reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and governance. He held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  An inspector visited the school’s breakfast club and visited the playground during breaktimes. Inspectors spoke informally to pupils around school. An inspector visited assembly.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Anderson His Majesty’s Inspector 2 February 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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