Great Addington CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Great Addington Church of England Primary School Woodford Road, Great Addington, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN14 4BS

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Outcome

Great Addington Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a friendly and welcoming place for pupils to learn. Staff ensure that they check on pupils’ well-being every morning. Pupils enjoy school and they know that staff care for them. Pupils feel safe. They know how to get help if they need it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know the high expectations that staff have of them. By ‘being respectful, being ready and being safe’, pupils work hard to reflect the school’s values. This helps them to build their own independence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want all pupils to be ready for secondary school. This is not yet a reality for all pupils. Some do not have a good enough understanding of other faiths, diversity, British values, and relationships, including different types of families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour in and around school is positive. They are polite and show respect towards adults and their peers. Leaders have an attitude of zero tolerance towards bullying. If it does happen, they deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers could not speak more highly of the school. One parent, typical of many, commented, ‘The staff and school are wonderful, and everyone contributes to the community feel of this small school.’

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

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is well designed. It builds on key knowledge they want pupils to know over time. It is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are aware of the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills. They have adapted the curriculum to fill these gaps. 9 March 2023

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Leaders have high expectations for all pupils to achieve well. Most do. Teachers adapt their teaching to support pupils with SEND. On occasions, this support does not help pupils with SEND to build on their understanding as well as they could.

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Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They explain key concepts clearly to pupils. Activities and resources carefully match the planned learning. Teachers review pupils’ prior learning at the start of the lesson. In most lessons, teachers use questions effectively to check what pupils know and to develop pupils’ understanding.

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The teaching of reading starts in early years. All staff have received training to teach the phonics programme. Teachers regularly check which sounds pupils know. If pupils fall behind, they receive support to help them catch up. All pupils read books that match their phonic knowledge. Children make good progress with their reading. Leaders ensure that parents understand how teachers teach letters and sounds to pupils. This supports parents to help pupils practise reading at home. Pupils enjoy reading and have access to a wide range of texts.

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Pupils are ready to learn and engage well with learning. This includes children in early years. Children follow well-established routines. They enjoy learning and playing together in a vocabulary-rich environment. Teachers encourage children to talk about what they are learning. Children can clearly state what they are learning now and what they have learned before. Children in early years are well prepared for Year 1.

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Leaders ensure that the curriculum goes beyond the academic. They ensure that pupils have opportunities to experience off-site trips. Pupils have recently enjoyed visiting the local outdoors activity centre. They took part in canoeing and climbing to develop their team-building skills. Pupils say that they enjoy attending the multisports after-school club. Some pupils in Years 5 and 6 have a ‘sports crew’ responsibility. They run sports activities at lunchtime for younger pupils. This gives them the opportunity to be role models. Pupils raise funds for local charities in the community. This gives them a sense of responsibility.

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Pupils know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They understand the importance of respecting difference. Teachers teach pupils about British values in assemblies and in religious education lessons. However, not all pupils fully understand these values.

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Leaders are mindful of staff well-being. Staff say that they feel well supported by leaders and are proud to work at the school. Support from the trust helps to reduce staff’s workload.

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Members of the local governing body understand the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They work closely with leaders to ensure that improvements are ongoing.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 9 March 2023

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Leaders make keeping pupils safe a high priority. Leaders ensure that all staff receive weekly safeguarding updates to keep them informed. Leaders act quickly to identify any pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff know their pupils well and are vigilant in spotting any changes in behaviour.

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All staff report safeguarding concerns quickly when these arise. Leaders act quickly in response to concerns, so that pupils get the right support. Leaders work closely with external organisations to meet the needs of pupils and their families.

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Pupils learn how to stay safe, including the importance being safe when online. Pupils use a worry box if they have any concerns. They say that teachers always listen to them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, support for pupils with SEND does not enable these pupils to deepen their understanding. Consequently, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as highly as they could. Leaders should ensure that all teachers provide precise support that enables all pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve well.  The teaching of some elements of the personal, social and health education curriculum and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of learning is not ensuring that pupils are developing sufficiently strong knowledge and understanding in these areas. Pupils are not yet gaining as strong an understanding of other faiths, diversity, British values, and relationships as leaders wish them to. Leaders should ensure that the provision for pupils’ personal development prepares pupils well for modern life in Britain.

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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 predecessor school, Great Addington Church of England Primary School, to be good in February 2014. 9 March 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. 9 March 2023

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School details

Website www.greataddingtonprimary.org.uk

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Date of previous inspection

14 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in November 2019.  The school does not use the services of any alternative providers.

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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 and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the leaders and chief executive officer of the trust, and the chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors completed deep dives in reading, mathematics and geography. Inspectors met with subject leaders, teachers and groups of pupils. They visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding procedures, including the single central record and child protection and safeguarding policies. She met with the designated safeguarding lead. 9 March 2023

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 Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors considered the views of staff gathered through meetings with groups of staff and through responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for school staff.  Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and during break- and lunchtimes.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils. They met with pupils both formally and informally.  Inspectors looked at documents relating to self-evaluation, school improvement, attendance and behaviour, the curriculum and governance.

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Inspection team

Anita Denman, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Craig Ofsted Inspector 9 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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