Gosfield Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Gosfield Community Primary School The Street, Gosfield, Halstead, Essex CO9 1ST

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Outcome

Gosfield Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is welcome and included at this small school with a ‘family feel’. Older pupils act as buddies for the youngest children. This helps children to settle in quickly and feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons. They listen carefully to their teachers. From the early years, they learn to take turns and share ideas. Children quickly start to develop confidence to have a go. Pupils throughout the school show good manners and consideration for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know their teachers expect them to try hard with their learning. They say an adult will always help them when they need it. Older pupils are mature and sensible. They help each other and work together, so that everyone can succeed with the tasks set.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand what bullying is and why it is wrong. They say that it happens sometimes, but trust that teachers will stop it and any unkind behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their outdoor learning sessions. With the help of adults, they raise funds to run their own gardening club at breaktimes. Pupils who enjoy sports can take part in events, such as cross-country, netball and dance clubs.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum, including for children in the early years, which sets out clearly what pupils will learn. They have broken this down into small steps of knowledge. Teachers make links to what pupils already know when introducing new ideas. This helps pupils to understand and tackle increasingly complex tasks.

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

Teachers check for any gaps in knowledge or misconceptions before they teach new content. They explain new concepts and vocabulary clearly. Teachers revisit previous learning regularly in lessons to check understanding. This helps pupils to remember the most important learning. Most pupils achieve well. 2 March 2023

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) join in learning along with their peers. Pupils with more complex needs get carefully planned support. Skilful adults help them to focus and understand new ideas. Leaders act on advice from external professionals for these pupils. Teachers include these pupils well in lessons. Pupils with high levels of SEND achieve well from their starting points. However, for other pupils with SEND, leaders have been slow to ensure that teachers help them to access the curriculum successfully. These pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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Leaders have kept a sharp focus on teaching pupils to read. The curriculum for phonics is set out clearly. Well trained staff introduce children to sounds and tricky words straight away in the early years. Pupils have books at the right level to practise their developing phonics knowledge. Extra adults help pupils with their reading. Leaders check regularly how well pupils are developing their reading knowledge. They put extra catch-up sessions in place promptly for those who need them. Most pupils quickly learn to read. Leaders have selected a diverse range of ambitious texts for teachers to share with their classes. Pupils enjoy these story times. Most pupils read widely and talk enthusiastically about their books.

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Behaviour is good around the school. Pupils settle quickly to listen and to learn in class. Extra adults support pupils who need help to understand and to pay attention. Clear expectations and routines ensure lessons run smoothly and no learning time is lost. A small group of parents lack confidence in school systems to manage and promote good behaviour.

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Leaders provide plenty of opportunities for older pupils to take on responsibility around the school. Pupils act as buddies and help to plan school events. Pupils elect a school council, who listen to their views. They work with leaders to improve the school, for example discussing improvements to breaktime. Pupils can run their own clubs. They have a clear understanding of the work that this involves. From the early years, children learn about healthy bodies, minds and relationships. They enjoy their yoga sessions. Older pupils learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizens. They have tolerant and respectful attitudes to others.

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Leaders have worked hard to maintain a consistently positive ethos during recent staffing changes. New staff appreciate the support they have had since joining. Leaders provide ongoing training, so that staff have the expertise they need to teach well. Governors and trustees take the well-being of staff seriously. They ensure that staff get the help they need to carry out their jobs effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff have the training they need to spot any safeguarding concern. Staff know and follow school systems to report and record concerns. Leaders act promptly to seek and follow advice when needed. They work effectively with external agencies, such as social services, to keep pupils safe. 2 March 2023

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Pupils have a range of ways to let adults know if they have any worries. Pupils learn to stay safe outside school, for example online. Clear processes are in place to check that staff are safe to work with pupils. Governors regularly check that agreed safeguarding procedures are in place.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have been too slow to precisely identify difficulties and next steps for some pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not always get the exact support they need to achieve well. Leaders should ensure that all pupils’ needs are identified and met in a timely fashion, so that all pupils with SEND are supported effectively with their learning.  Leaders are reviewing and updating the behaviour policy. A small group of parents lack confidence in school systems to address their concerns about behaviour. Leaders should work with the whole school community to ensure that the behaviour policy is widely understood and supported.

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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, Gosfield Community Primary School to be good in November 2011.

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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. 2 March 2023

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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 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268682 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Gosfield Community Primary School joined the Attain Academy Partnership multi- academy trust in January 2019. When the predecessor school, Gosfield Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Leaders use one unregistered provider of off-site alternative education.  Leaders provide before- and after-school clubs on site.

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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 with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with school leaders including academy trust leaders, trustees and governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 2 March 2023

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 Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and other staff to discuss safeguarding.  The inspectors considered 38 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 29 free-text comments. They also considered 14 responses to the Ofsted survey for school staff and 52 responses to the pupil survey.  The inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences of school life to understand what it is like to be a pupil at this school. They also observed the behaviour of pupils at breaktimes and around the school.

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Inspection team

Lynne Williams, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

John Crane Ofsted Inspector 2 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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