Colwall CofE Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Colwall CofE Primary School Mill Lane, Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6EQ

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 February 2023

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Outcome

Colwall CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The staff and pupils of Colwall CofE Primary School welcome everyone. Staff have created a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Staff know pupils as individuals. Pupils come to school happy, feeling safe and ready to learn. They know that they can talk to an adult if they have any concerns. Staff resolve any disagreements, including any potential bullying issues, between pupils promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations. They have planned an ambitious curriculum where learning builds upon what pupils can already do. Pupils study a good range of subjects and learn well. They particularly enjoy creative work. Teachers are skilled at adapting the work for pupils, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across the school, pupils behave well in lessons. They concentrate on their work, listen to their teachers and work well together. They become articulate. Pupils treat each other and adults with respect. At social times, they make effective use of the playground equipment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibility, for example as directors or school councillors. School trips, such as to the nearby car factory, help them to put their learning into context. Pupils enjoy and benefit from a range of extra-curricular activities, particularly in music. Some are preparing to sing in a concert. Pupils take part in competitive fixtures in a wide range of sports.

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

Leaders prioritise reading. Children start learning to read when they join Reception. They follow a structured programme that ensures they learn about letters and their sounds. Staff encourage pupils to read at home, providing children with books matched to their phonic knowledge. If pupils start to fall behind, staff work with individual pupils to identify the difficulty and to help them overcome it. However, in the teaching of phonics, a few 15 and 16 February 2023

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staff are not consistent in how carefully they put the programme into practice. Across the school, pupils read widely, including non-fiction books and a range of poetry. They are confident and enthusiastic readers.

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Children get off to a good start in the Reception class. Across the school, leaders have planned learning so that it takes good account of what pupils have learned in the past. For example, in geography, pupils learn about a country and its physical features before tackling how these affect the people in it. In each subject, leaders have set ambitious end points for the end of key stage 2.

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Teachers are knowledgeable. They deliver the curriculum that leaders have planned effectively. Leaders have addressed the weaknesses reflected in the 2022 published outcomes at key stage 2. Teachers check on what pupils know. They use this information to shape future learning. ‘Flashback’ questions at the beginning of lessons help pupils to recall and remember key knowledge. Teachers of mathematics use diagrams and physical equipment well. As a result, pupils make strong gains in their knowledge.

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Leaders have identified well the needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers know how best to meet their particular learning needs. As a result, these pupils follow the full curriculum and learn well.

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Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Staff establish effective routines for managing pupils’ behaviour from the start of the early years. Teachers implement the behaviour policy fairly, and pupils concentrate well in lessons. They take care over their work, especially in key stage 2. Disruption to learning is uncommon. Pupils show consideration for each other and courtesy to adults.

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Staff provide high-quality pastoral care for pupils. They have supported pupils whose well- being suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic effectively. Pupils have valuable opportunities to take on positions of responsibility. They appreciate the initiatives taken by their peers, for example to improve recycling.

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Leaders are keen for pupils to see themselves as global citizens. They have chosen reading texts from different traditions. Pupils learn about a range of cultures, for example through the curriculum in art and music. They take part in a range of extra-curricular activities, including orchestra, rock band and art club.

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The new headteacher has identified effectively what needs to be done to further improve the school. He has secured the trust of the school community. Recent staffing changes have led to few opportunities for subject leaders to check on the effectiveness of the curriculum. Staff say that leaders are always ready to listen to their views and are considerate of their welfare.

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Governors are insightful and active in their support. The board provides effective oversight of the school. 15 and 16 February 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff are well trained in the school’s safeguarding procedures. They provide updates when any new issues emerge. Staff are vigilant and know how to manage the risks that pupils face. When staff raise a safeguarding concern, leaders take the right steps to involve other agencies so that children and families receive the help that they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make the necessary checks on the staff who join the school. Leaders keep and maintain accurate records. Governors support safeguarding arrangements effectively.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe, including from risks online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that all staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well, for example identifying individual misconceptions and modelling the formation of letters. As a result, some pupils do not always receive the quality of support that they should. Leaders should ensure that all staff are fully trained in all aspects of phonics teaching, and that they put that training to consistently good use.  Recent changes in the leadership of the school have meant that subject leaders have had only occasional opportunities to monitor how the subject that they lead is being implemented. They are therefore not in the best position to support their colleagues. Senior leaders should make sure that subject leaders have regular opportunities to check on the implementation of different subjects to enable them to make further refinements to the curriculum and to provide staff with additional guidance.

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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 October 2012. 15 and 16 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. 15 and 16 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10257006 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 5 December 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Colwall CofE Primary School is a Church of England faith school within the Diocese of Hereford. The religious character of the school was last inspected in February 2018. The next section 48 inspection will take place before February 2026.  The headteacher joined the school in January 2023. Staffing in the school has been reorganised.  A significant number of pupils join the school other than at normal points of transfer.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  Leaders do 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 his evaluation of the school. 15 and 16 February 2023

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 The inspector met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Meetings were also held with curriculum leaders.  The chair of the governing body and five other governors met with the inspector. He spoke by telephone to representatives of the local authority and of the diocese.  The inspector spoke with pupils at social times, and with groups of pupils more formally.  When inspecting safeguarding, the inspector looked at the school’s procedures for recruiting and checking on staff suitability to work with children. He also considered the effectiveness of staff training and the procedures to keep pupils safe.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including evaluations and improvement plans. He also reviewed the school’s attendance and behaviour records.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents and carers. The inspector met with parents at the start of the second day

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of the inspection. The inspector also considered responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and for pupils.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. He also spoke to pupils and scrutinised their work in some other subjects.  The inspector listened to some pupils reading to a familiar adult.

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Inspection team

Martin Spoor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 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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