Blockley Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Blockley Church of England Primary School Park Road, Blockley, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9BY

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy. They appreciate their warm relationships with staff. Parents say their children do well at the school. They value leaders’ high expectations and how staff care for pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning. For example, they delighted in designing gliders, electrical circuits and optical illusions during science week. They spoke excitedly about a visit to a local science museum. Leaders ensure that there are no barriers to prevent pupils from taking part in such activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They follow routines eagerly and have positive attitudes to learning. As a result, the school has a calm atmosphere and learning is rarely disrupted. Bullying seldom occurs. When it does, staff act swiftly and effectively to resolve it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy contributing to the local community. For example, they made a gingerbread man art trail for the village at Christmas, and they sing to local residents. Pupils value their roles on the school council and feel that staff listen to their ideas.

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better?

Pupils follow a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders have a clear vision to prepare pupils for the future by providing a good quality of education. Trustees share this vision and provide intelligent support and challenge to leaders. As a result, trustees ensure that leaders bring about improvement when it is needed.

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better?

The curriculum is sequenced logically. For each subject, leaders have carefully identified the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn. For example, in mathematics, pupils acquire reasoning and problem-solving skills well. Teaching ensures that pupils remember mathematical facts, such as fractions and percentages. Younger pupils develop a good understanding of number, which prepares them well for future learning.

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better?

The curriculum in other subjects builds on pupils’ learning from the early years. Consequently, pupils gain detailed knowledge in most subjects. For example, in history, pupils develop an understanding of chronology. Older pupils learn how to see history from different people’s points of view.

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better?

Teachers use their expert subject knowledge to present information clearly. Teachers model their expectations of how pupils should use speech and write for different audiences. Teaching has a sharp focus on developing pupils’ vocabulary. In the early years, teaching uses poems and rhymes to develop pupils’ language successfully.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised reading. The school environment is rich in literature. Pupils talk enthusiastically about books they have read. Teachers read to pupils in a way 21 and 22 March 2023

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that excites them and sustains their concentration. In the early years, pupils get to know stories well and enjoy retelling them.

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Pupils achieve highly in reading. They start learning to read as soon as they join the school. The early reading curriculum enables them to read accurately and with increasingly fluency. As pupils become more confident readers, they enjoy the books that leaders have carefully selected for them.

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Where teachers’ use of assessment is effective, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are identified. This informs teaching and helps leaders make adaptations to the curriculum. However, assessment is not effective in all subjects. As a result, teachers do not identify and remedy gaps in pupils’ knowledge well enough in some subjects.

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Leaders clearly establish the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils then benefit from teaching which meets these needs. Leaders evaluate additional support carefully. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The personal development curriculum helps pupils understand healthy relationships in ways appropriate to their age. Pupils learn how to keep themselves well mentally. In the early years, pupils learn about healthy eating and drinking. Pupils, of all ages, find out how to cooperate and play together.

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Pupils learn about different faiths and beliefs. Staff encourage pupils to respect people from different backgrounds and to treat others equally. Pupils learn about democracy and citizenship through taking part in school votes. Older pupils say that they receive useful information about the next steps in their education.

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Staff are proud to work at the school and receive helpful professional development. Leaders are sensitive to staff well-being and help staff to manage their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe. They learn to recognise online and offline risks to their well-being. Pupils are happy to tell a staff member if they are worried about anything.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive training to identify pupils at risk. Leaders liaise with external agencies when required. Leaders take effective action to protect children and secure the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Policies and practice to manage harmful sexual behaviours are appropriate. Recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitable to work with pupils.

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 In some subjects, teachers’ use of assessment is not well developed. Where this is the case, gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills are not identified precisely enough. Leaders should ensure that assessment is used effectively in all subjects so that gaps in pupils’ learning of the curriculum are pinpointed and remedied.

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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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256613 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England school and is part of the Diocese of Gloucester.  The school received its last section 48 inspection in January 2023.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 held discussions with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, curriculum leaders and trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with 21 and 22 March 2023

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teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector scrutinised the single central record of adults working in the school. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and examined the school’s safeguarding records. Inspectors also spoke with a range of pupils and staff about safeguarding.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emma Jelley Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 March 2023

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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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