Gateway Primary School

Inspection of Gateway Primary School Netheravon Close, Carterton, Oxfordshire OX18 3SF

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Inspection dates: 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 28 February and 1 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are flying high at this thoughtful and caring community school. Many pupils come from families who work in the armed forces and have had to change schools several times. Despite this, pupils have a strong sense of belonging. One pupil said, ‘Someone is always there for you. You learn about how you can cope with and overcome difficulties.’ Pupils say that ‘honesty and optimism’ are central to the school’s values. They enjoy how these are celebrated through recognition, rewards and the house system, as well as events such as weekly celebration assemblies and regular communication with parents. Pupils are excited about their lessons and value the many trips that help to bring their learning to life. For example, a visit to Oxford Castle and prison helped pupils to learn about crime and punishment in history lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident and feel safe. They understand the behaviour policy and how being ‘ready to fly’ means being ready to learn at Gateway Primary School. Bullying is almost unheard of at the school, and staff always resolve any issues if anything does happen. Pupils are highly motivated in what is an overwhelmingly positive, nurturing and respectful school culture.

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better?

Leadership is a strength of the school. Staff comment, ‘The headteacher is inspiring, and the community has so much praise for her.’ With a highly skilled leadership team and a clear vision that highlights the pursuit of excellence, leaders have made significant improvements since the previous inspection. Governors are highly skilled. They know the school’s strengths and areas for development and offer robust support and challenge aimed at getting the best out of everyone. Leaders, including governors, are considerate of staff workload and well-being, something that is appreciated and recognised by all.

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better?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. They have designed an ambitious curriculum, which is carefully planned to meet the needs of all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils from service families. Some subject areas have been a recent focus for improvement, such as mathematics and reading, including in the early years. In these subjects, staff are clear about what needs to be taught, and they check if pupils have understood carefully. In other subjects, such as history and art, precise knowledge and vocabulary have not yet been identified, which leads to some gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This means that pupils in these subjects are not always achieving as well as they could.

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better?

Pupils with SEND achieve well across the curriculum. The special educational needs coordinator has developed excellent practice and is able to support parents, staff and pupils through her work. Staff work closely with specialist support wherever it is 28 February and 1 March 2023

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needed so that pupils with SEND are identified and supported quickly. Staff adapt the curriculum and, with the same high expectations, ensure provision matches to the targets identified for each pupil closely.

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Pupils, including those in the early years, learn to read well. Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics scheme that is being delivered consistently well. Reading books are closely matched to the sounds that pupils are learning. Staff have detailed systems so they can check how well pupils are learning phonics. Phonics teaching begins when children first arrive in Reception. If any pupil starts to fall behind, staff make sure that there is support in place to help them catch up. When teaching the phonics programme, a small number of staff are still developing their expertise to make sure that all lessons are consistently strong. Leaders know this and are working hard to provide all staff with the appropriate training they need.

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The wider development and pastoral support of pupils is exemplary. Pupils are proud of their school. They talk excitedly about their roles, such as house captain and school councillor. British values are closely linked to the cultural experiences of service pupils and families, but this is extended to learning about a wide range of cultures, faiths and beliefs. Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds consistently benefit from the clubs and activities in place, such as ‘Change4Life club’, which helps pupils to learn about mental health and healthy eating. Other activities include tennis, choir, athletics, football, swimming and dance. All pupils learn a musical instrument. There is a deliberate effort by school leaders to overcome the contextual barriers faced by service families, and all pupils settle quickly due to the exceptional support, guidance and clear expectations that run through the whole of the personal

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have detailed knowledge of children and their families. They place a strong emphasis on communication and assessments to help keep children safe. Concerns are swiftly responded to so that leaders can secure the right help for pupils, including involving multi-agency support if needed. Staff use the curriculum effectively to help pupils know how to report concerns and keep themselves safe, including keeping safe online. Record-keeping is comprehensive. Leaders ensure that all staff, governors and volunteers have appropriate safeguarding training and have read and understood the policies and guidance. Governors are highly knowledgeable and make appropriate checks, including recruitment checks of new staff.

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 Some members of staff are still developing their phonics expertise, and not all are equipped to deliver with the scheme appropriately. This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive specific training to further improve phonics subject knowledge and provide effective support for pupils who need it.  In some foundation subjects, leaders have not yet identified the precise knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to learn. This leads to pupils having gaps in their knowledge. Leaders should ensure that clear, cumulative knowledge is in place to help all pupils learn well across all curriculum subjects.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10257080 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 9 and 10 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school. Gateway Primary School is close to RAF Brize Norton, and most pupils attending the school are from service families.  Pupils are taught in eleven classes. There are two Reception classes in which children attend full time and three combined classes each for Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.  The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.  Since the previous inspection, the school has brokered effective support from Oxfordshire local authority. The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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 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.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and a range of staff.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, art and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, spoke with teachers and spoke with pupils about their learning. They visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, inspectors reviewed school policies, procedures and records. The lead inspector

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met with the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors also spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents, Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors met with staff and considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Carl McCarthy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Stuart His Majesty’s Inspector 28 February and 1 March 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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