Blue Coat CofE Primary School

Inspection of Blue Coat CofE Primary School Symn Lane, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire GL12 7BD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 14 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 28 and 29 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Blue Coat Church of England Primary School is a nurturing and welcoming school. Staff and pupils know each other well. Pupils feel cared for and safe. Leaders strive for every pupil to be ‘future’ ready. They make sure there is no barrier to learning or participating in wider opportunities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are curious and confident. They are keen to discuss their ideas. Older pupils debate with maturity. Relationships between pupils are caring. Older pupils care for the children in Reception Year. They welcome them to the school with a painted pebble. Pupils display these with pride.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their play area. Leaders have planned a vast range of play and exploration. As a result, pupils share and play well across different age groups. Pupils are respectful to one another. Without prompting, they recognise and celebrate the achievements of others in their class. Bullying is rare. If it happens, pupils are confident that staff will deal with it promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish the many opportunities for leadership. They understand how their participation helps them to gain skills. Pupils who are ‘Future Leaders’ discuss with leaders how to improve the school. Pupils delight in working with leaders to develop projects around the school. Pupils enjoy contributing to the wider community, such as displaying their artwork in a local residential home.

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better?

Leaders have developed an ambitious and broad curriculum. Staff and pupils talk about the purpose of the curriculum with a common understanding. Leaders have planned and sequenced the learning. They have identified the knowledge they want pupils to learn and remember over time. The curriculum is in its second year. In some subject areas, leaders are still refining the knowledge pupils are required to learn. They are ambitious for pupils to have a greater depth of knowledge to apply to new learning.

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better?

In the reception classes, a well-crafted ‘Blue Coat’ curriculum prepares children for their learning in key stage 1. The curriculum builds on the ambition of the whole school. Leaders ensure that children experience lots of high-quality interactions and conversations. Children behave with motivation and resilience when they are trying new activities. They take time to complete challenging activities. Leaders make sure children have ample opportunities to develop their numeracy and literacy.

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better?

Teachers assess and check pupils’ understanding. As a result, pupils know what they need to do for the next part of their learning. Curriculum ‘tube maps’ help pupils to see what they need to know. Pupils find these helpful. 28 and 29 March 2023

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Staff ensure that all pupils receive the support and adaptation they need to learn the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. Staff receive the training and information they need to ensure the support is precise. Leaders work closely with parents and external agencies to make sure pupils with SEND progress well.

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A passion for reading is at the core of the curriculum. From the moment they join the school, children in Reception learn phonics. Staff are well trained in the phonics curriculum. They identify and provide additional support when pupils need it to keep up. Pupils focus on reading at the start of each day. As pupils become confident, they experience a wealth of books and stories. This helps them to become motivated independent readers.

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Pupils’ personal development is exceptionally well supported. There are a large range of extra-curricular opportunities. Leaders discuss these with pupils to ensure that they offer new and varied experiences. Through this collaboration, nearly all pupils participate. Leaders ensure the clubs are inclusive and that pupils with SEND or disadvantaged pupils can have those full experiences. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is strongly established. Pupils learn about relationships in a timely way. Older pupils speak with maturity about their learning. Pupils have a confident knowledge of the protected characteristics. They demonstrate respect and tolerance through their behaviours. Leaders embed the fundamental British values throughout the curriculum. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders and governors strive for excellence. They share a well-established vision to prepare pupils for the future as confident citizens. This is present throughout the culture of the school. Leaders share their best practices with other schools. Staff feel supported by leaders. Leaders are considerate of their well-being. Parents are hugely positive about the school. One parent wrote that their children had ‘positively thrived under the care, dedication and attention of the Blue Coat staff’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure there are clear procedures for reporting safeguarding concerns. As a result, staff are confident to identify and report issues. Leaders act swiftly to follow up. When it is appropriate, leaders work with external agencies to ensure that pupils and their families receive support.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors are diligent in their duties to keep pupils safe. They track the records for safeguarding and ensure checks are up to date and detailed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to care for their mental health. They learn how to look after one another. Leaders provide planned levels of support for pupils when they need it. 28 and 29 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the curriculum is not fully refined. As a result, pupils do not learn to the depth of knowledge leaders would like to see. Leaders need to ensure that these areas of the curriculum are developed so that pupils have secure knowledge and understanding over time.

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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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256655 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Information about this school

 Blue Coat Church of England Primary School is a church school in the Diocese of Gloucester. The school received its previous section 48 inspection in 2019.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

The 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons where they were timetabled, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ works. 28 and 29 March 2023

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 An inspector met with the special educational needs co-ordinator and reviewed the provision for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other school staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  To understand the culture of safeguarding, the lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader and examined school records. Inspectors talked to pupils, staff and governors about how the school keeps everyone safe.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View and the views of staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Rachel Hesketh, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paula Marsh Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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