Queen Boudica Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Queen Boudica Primary School Cowper Crescent, Colchester, Essex CO4 5XT

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Outcome

Queen Boudica Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Queen Boudica love coming to school. Pupils feel safe and thrive in this welcoming and nurturing school. A large number of pupils arrive at the school who cannot speak English. They rapidly feel at home, make lots of friends and learn to communicate confidently.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning. They like their teachers and find lessons interesting. Pupils listen attentively to their teachers and get on with their work. Adults check how pupils are getting on and are quick to help when needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exemplary. Bullying is exceptionally rare. If someone is unkind, adults help to sort out any problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most subjects are well planned. As such, pupils know and remember more through each unit of work. Pupils make strong progress from their starting points. A few subjects remain a work in progress. In these subjects, pupils’ learning is not quite so successful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many clubs and other activities, both during and after school time. These activities contribute to pupils’ strong personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take an active role in the local community. For example, they make regular visits to a local care home. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. They have almost completed their overhaul of the curriculum. Most subjects are well organised. Lessons are carefully 13 and 14 March 2023

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sequenced so pupils know and remember more over the course of a topic. There are a few subjects that are still being developed. Currently, the developing subjects are too closely linked to other subjects. For example, art and design is linked to history. This confuses pupils. Pupils are not gaining enough specific knowledge, understanding and skills in these subjects.

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Subject leaders have time to plan and check how pupils are getting on in their subjects. They use this information to provide effective training for colleagues. Early career teachers find their support and guidance particularly helpful. Teachers say they are able to manage their workload well.

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Leaders are determined that every pupil will learn to read. Teachers and teaching assistants have the training they need to be able to teach reading consistently well. Children learn phonics as soon as they start school. They rapidly learn their sounds. By the middle of their Reception Year, a high proportion of children are reading simple books. All pupils are reading well by the middle of Year 3.

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Reading books are well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge. Pupils develop a love of reading from the word go. Older pupils are voracious readers. They talk enthusiastically about how much they read every day, the types of books they like and their favourite authors.

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Pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and on the playground is consistently good. All staff ensure that the highest standards are set from Reception onwards. Classrooms are highly purposeful places for learning. Pupils listen and join in well during lessons.

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Teachers adapt the classroom and the curriculum well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils with SEND learn in the classroom with their friends. A minority of pupils sometimes need to work outside the classroom. Leaders make effective provision for these pupils. Teaching assistants have regular training sessions, enabling them to provide consistently strong support for pupils across the school. Pupils with SEND make strong progress from their starting points. Leaders work well with external experts, who make a detailed diagnosis of pupils’ needs.

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Children make a strong start to their education in Reception. They rapidly settle and learn their sounds and numbers. Provision is strong, both inside and outside the classroom. Children have opportunities to practise their phonics, number and writing in well-planned learning activities. Leaders ensure that the curriculum is interesting and includes children’s ideas. Children behave, work and play well together. Routines are consistent. All adults have high expectations for children’s learning and achievement. Children feel safe in the provision. They are well prepared for Year 1.

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Pupils enjoy the wide range of visits and visitors that leaders organise for them. All pupils take part in forest school. Pupils learn many new skills, including how to value each other and work together as a team. There are strong links with the local secondary schools. This helps to ensure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Governors know the school well through their regular visits. Pupil and staff well-being is of the highest priority. Governors give good support to leaders in this aspect of their work. Governors have had training to gain a better understanding of the curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding processes and procedures are robust and rigorous. Governors regularly check that systems are effective. Staff have effective training in how to keep pupils safe. They are vigilant and rapidly report any concerns. Leaders and pastoral staff work exceptionally well with the most vulnerable families. Leaders ensure that families get the help they need to keep their children safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the curriculum covers all aspects of safety. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the local community. Pupils are confident to talk to an adult if they have any worries.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, pupils are not gaining the specific knowledge, understanding and skills they need to achieve well. Leaders should ensure that all subject planning includes the specific knowledge, understanding and skills pupils should learn to make the best progress in these subjects.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2017.

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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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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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255059 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 21 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average primary school.  Leaders use one off-site provider of alternative education.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the phonics and reading leader, the pastoral leader, subject leaders for mathematics and art and design, the early years leader, teachers, support staff and groups of pupils.  The inspector met with a group of governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject 13 and 14 March 2023

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector spoke to leaders, scrutinised curriculum design and pupils’ work in design technology, history and geography.  The inspector focused on other aspects of the school’s work, including safeguarding, pupils’ wider development, staff workload, and off-rolling.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and Ofsted’s staff survey. The inspector considered responses to the parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text messages.

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Inspection team

Julie Winyard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 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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