Pucklechurch CofE VC Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Pucklechurch C of E VC Primary School Castle Road, Pucklechurch, Bristol, South Gloucestershire BS16 9RF

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Inspection dates: 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Outcome

Pucklechurch C of E VC Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand and follow the school’s values of friendship, generosity, compassion, forgiveness, respect and courage. They enjoy the responsibility of making a positive difference in school. For example, pupils in the ‘Diversity Crew’ award certificates to other pupils who follow school and British values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school. The teaching of the curriculum supports all pupils to learn well. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff expect pupils to work hard and achieve their best. Pupils are eager to meet these expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils enjoy positive working relationships built on respect and trust. Pupils feel safe in school. They behave well. There are few incidents of low-level disruption. Pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour are supported well. Bullying is rare. Pupils say if bullying does happen, adults deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the visits and wider opportunities the school provides. For example, pupils appreciated the trip to Stonehenge because it helped them understand their history topic. Pupils like attending the after-school sports clubs. However, some pupils say they would like a wider range of extra-curricular clubs. Parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey agree.

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

Leaders have planned a broad, ambitious curriculum. This begins in the early years. The curriculum sets out the essential knowledge pupils need to know and remember in each subject. This knowledge is carefully sequenced to ensure pupils learn well. For example, pupils confidently solve mathematical problems because they can easily recall their number facts and times tables. Pupils are becoming fluent in numeracy as teachers give them regular opportunities for practice. However, the vocabulary pupils need to know to understand key pieces of information in mathematics and some other subjects, is not mapped out well enough. For example, in music and mathematics, some pupils found it 28 February and 1 March 2023

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difficult to explain their thinking. This is because they do not have a secure understanding of musical and mathematical language.

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Leaders have created effective systems for checking pupils’ knowledge. Teachers use assessment information well to provide extra support or challenge for pupils. This includes pupils with SEND. For example, a teacher slowed the tempo of the music so pupils could sing hip hop lyrics. As the pupils became more confident, the teacher increased the tempo. Pupils say teachers encourage them to challenge themselves. This promotes a culture of high expectations.

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Reading is high priority at Pucklechurch. Staff deliver a well-sequenced phonics curriculum. This supports pupils to learn new sounds as soon as they start school in Reception. The books pupils read are precisely matched to the sounds they know. Teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning to read. They quickly spot pupils at risk of falling behind with their reading. Staff intervene with extra support, which means pupils catch up with their peers. Pupils of all ages enjoy reading books for pleasure and listening to stories.

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Children in Reception know the classroom routines and follow them most of the time. Staff encourage children to talk about their learning. For example, in the mud kitchen children were making porridge for Goldilocks and retelling the story. They talked about bowls being full or half empty. This helps them to learn early mathematical concepts.

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Pupils with SEND receive the support they need to be successful learners. Teachers adapt the learning to meet their individual needs. For example, teachers break learning down into smaller steps and provide useful resources. As a result, pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as other pupils.

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A number of parents raised concerns about important aspects of school life. Leaders, including governors, do not communicate effectively with some parents and carers. As a result, some parents do not feel sufficiently informed or listened to.

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Leaders have created a curriculum which supports pupils’ character development and the school’s Christian distinctiveness. For example, through the school value of friendship, pupils learn about healthy relationships and consent. Pupils are tolerant and celebrate differences. However, they do not know enough about different faiths. They enjoy opportunities to perform through Church services and music events.

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Staff are proud to work at Pucklechurch. They say leaders and governors consider their workload and well-being. Leaders provide many training opportunities to develop staff’s knowledge and skills. Governors know what is working well and what needs to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Leaders complete appropriate safeguarding checks before staff begin to work at the school. Staff and governors regularly attend safeguarding training. This helps them to carry out their safeguarding roles and responsibilities.

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Leaders prioritise the safeguarding of pupils. They quickly identify pupils who might need extra help. Leaders work with external agencies to ensure pupils and their families have support.

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Pupils learn how to stay safe online. They benefit from the leadership of the ‘Digi Crew’ who teach other pupils how to use the internet safely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not identified some of the important subject-specific vocabulary that pupils need to learn. This means that pupils do not fully understand some important concepts in these subjects. Leaders need to identify the vocabulary to be learned in each subject so that pupils deepen their understanding and are ready to learn more.  Leaders’ communication with parents has not been sufficiently effective. Consequently, some parents do not feel fully informed about important aspects of the school’s work. Leaders should continue to improve communication and engagement with parents, so they feel better informed and listened to.

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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 May 2017.

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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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240850 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 16 and 17 May 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary controlled Church of England primary school in the Diocese of Bristol.  The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in November 2016.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is a breakfast club and after-school club on site. These clubs are not managed by the school and were not inspected as part of this inspection.

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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 have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher (who is also the special educational needs coordinator), subject leaders, other school staff and four members of the governing body. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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 Telephone calls were held with a representative from the local authority and a representative from Bristol diocese.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and music. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject 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 observed pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 reading to an adult.  The inspector spoke with the designated safeguarding leader to discuss the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe. Recruitment procedures, staff induction and training, records of concern and engagement with external agencies were reviewed. The inspector also spoke with staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  The inspector considered key documentation, including school self-evaluation and school improvement plans.

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 The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in class, around school, and at breaktimes. She reviewed documentation about behaviour, bullying and attendance.  The inspector gathered parents’ views by considering responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including the free-text responses, and by speaking to parents after school. She also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Faye Heming, lead inspector Ofsted 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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