St Oswald's Worleston CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Oswald's Worleston CofE Primary School Church Road, Aston Juxta Mondrum, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 6DP

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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 23 and 24 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to St Oswald's Worleston CofE Primary School. They feel a strong sense of belonging in this caring learning environment. Pupils feel happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders encourage pupils to flourish. They are ambitious for all pupils, regardless of their backgrounds. Leaders and staff expect pupils to achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those children in the Nursery and Reception classes, enjoy their lessons. They eagerly look forward to learning each day. Pupils are especially enthusiastic about their ‘connected curriculum’. As a result of a carefully designed curriculum, pupils typically achieve well across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous. Leaders deal with any allegations of bullying or poor behaviour effectively. As a result, pupils said that they are confident to report any issues to staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils contribute their views and ideas through the school’s ethos team and the school council. Many pupils choose to attend before- or after-school clubs, where they can engage in arts and crafts and sporting activities. All pupils have the opportunity to attend residential trips and they enjoy meeting the regular visitors to school, such as archaeologists.

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better?

Leaders have created an ambitious curriculum for pupils, including for children in the early years and those in the two-year-old provision. The curriculum is broad and balanced. Overall, leaders have designed the curriculum well in most subjects to help pupils learn and remember more of the curriculum content.

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better?

Leaders place a strong emphasis on reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils, including those with SEND and those pupils who are disadvantaged, achieve highly in these subjects. In the main, pupils also learn well in a wide range of other subjects. Across most subjects, pupils successfully build up their knowledge of topics and concepts. However, in a few subjects, leaders’ curriculum thinking is less well developed. This is because leaders have not fully thought out the order in which new learning should be taught. Occasionally, this hinders how well teachers design learning activities.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers check carefully what pupils have learned and what they need to do next. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not use leaders’ assessment systems as effectively as they could. Sometimes, teachers do not check exactly what pupils know and remember of their learning and, on occasions, some pupils develop misconceptions. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading, which starts as soon as children join the early years. Staff teach phonics consistently well, remaining faithful to the scheme that they use. Staff ensure that the books that pupils read match the sounds that they know. This helps pupils at the early stages of learning to read to gain the knowledge and skills that they need to be confident readers. As pupils move up through the school, most pupils develop fluency and accuracy in reading. They appreciate the joys that books can bring.

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Leaders successfully identify and assess the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers skilfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum for these pupils. Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum.

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Typically, pupils behave well in lessons. Children in the early years, including those in the two-year-old provision, settle quickly and they adapt well to school routines. Pupils work well with each other and they have strong relationships with teaching staff. However, a very small number of pupils do not attend school as often as they should.

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Pupils show respect towards others with different views or lifestyles. Celebrating difference is at the heart of this school. There is a wide range of clubs and activities for pupils to enjoy, including baking, rugby and bikeability. Children in the Nursery class enjoy the practical experiences of watching tadpoles and chicks change over time.

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Leaders, including governors and trustees, are mindful of reducing staff’s workload, for example, by removing unnecessary administrative tasks. Governors and trustees have put pupils’ and staff’s well-being at the centre of their leadership discussions. Governors and trustees know the school’s strengths well, as well as aspects of leaders’ work that require further development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are well trained to carry out their safeguarding responsibilities. There are clear systems in place to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff report safeguarding concerns quickly and diligently. Leaders act promptly on any referrals regarding pupils’ safety or well-being.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and are aware not to give out personal information on social media. 23 and 24 May 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The design of the curriculum in a small number of subjects is not as well developed as it is for other subject areas. Occasionally, this prevents some teachers from choosing the most appropriate activities to help pupils to learn new information. Leaders should ensure that they finalise their curriculum thinking in these remaining subjects, so that pupils know and remember more.  In a few subjects, teachers do not use leaders’ assessment systems as well as they should to check whether pupils have retained what has been taught. This means that, on occasions, some pupils do not remember all that they should. Some pupils also develop misconceptions that go unchecked. Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment systems consistently well.  Levels of persistent absence remain high for a small proportion of pupils. As a result, sometimes these pupils do not access all that the curriculum has to offer.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders should ensure that levels of persistent absence reduce.

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Website http://www.stoswald- worl.cheshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Rural Church Schools Academy Trust.  This is a Church of England primary school.  The school is part of the Diocese of Chester. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in November 2019.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.  The school operates a before- and after-school club.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 23 and 24 May 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection that 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.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the principal, the executive headteacher, middle leaders, teachers and support staff. They spoke with the chair of governors and a director of the trust. Inspectors also spoke to some members of the local advisory committees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each of these subjects, inspectors spoke with teachers and leaders, visited lessons, talked with pupils about their learning, looked at the work in pupils’ books and looked at other evidence of their learning. Inspectors also considered other subjects across the curriculum.  Inspectors observed pupils reading to familiar adults.

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 Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding leaders. Inspectors reviewed documentation relating to safeguarding. They spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding arrangements.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at breaktimes and around school. They spoke with pupils about bullying, behaviour and leaders’ expectations of pupils.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors met with a range of staff and pupils. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered the free-text responses.  Inspectors spoke to parents and carers at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Moira Atkins, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Vanessa MacDonald Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 May 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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