Colne Engaine Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Colne Engaine Church of England Primary School Green Farm Road, Colne Engaine, Essex CO6 2HA

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Outcome

Colne Engaine Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Colne Engaine is a warm and welcoming school at the heart of the local community. Pupils are very happy and enjoy coming to school. They play harmoniously together at breaktimes and lunchtime. They enjoy the range of games and activities staff carefully choose to have on offer. Older pupils like to set up games for younger pupils to play. The school dining hall is a pleasurable place for pupils to eat and chat with their friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well during lessons and are quick to settle to work. They work hard to achieve the very best they can. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. This motivates pupils to do well. Pupils listen attentively to adults. They also listen to each other and respect the different views and opinions they each hold.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ethos is guided by the carefully chosen ‘ERICER’ values that underpin everything that happens. Pupils understand what each of empathy, responsibility, integrity, compassion, equality and respect means. They care deeply about why it is important to live by these values and seek to show them in everything they do at school.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that clearly sets out what pupils will learn and the order in which they will learn it. Leaders ensure that staff have the training and subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum well. Teachers mostly check carefully how well pupils are learning the curriculum. They adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils. For example, in Reception, teachers carefully adapt the activities they ask children to complete. This helps children to develop the skills and knowledge needed across the different areas of learning so that they are well prepared for Year 1.

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

Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading. They have carefully selected the stories and novels that pupils will read in different classes. These books have been chosen to 13 June 2023

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reflect a range of authors, genres and cultures. Pupils enjoy the stories that teachers read to them. Older pupils appreciate being able to select different books to read for themselves from their classroom or the school library.

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In Reception, children learn phonics and how to blend sounds together to read new words from when they start school. Leaders identify any pupil who is finding reading difficult. Well-trained staff support these pupils to develop their fluency and confidence. While pupils achieve well overall in reading, there are some inconsistencies in the reading curriculum. Sometimes, the work and resources teachers choose for pupils do not always help them to learn what leaders want them to. Occasionally, teachers move learning on without checking that pupils have fully understood what they have been taught. This means that a small number of pupils do not develop the deep understanding of reading or language that leaders want them to.

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Leaders provide staff with the training and support needed to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff skilfully adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff’s careful adaptations to the curriculum and the use of well-chosen resources help pupils with SEND to achieve well because they successfully access the same, well-considered curriculum as their classmates.

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Leaders provide pupils with a broad range of opportunities for personal development. These opportunities work alongside the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum to develop well-rounded pupils. Pupils know the importance of tolerance and respect. They show respect towards each other and do not disrupt each other’s learning. Pupils know why discrimination is wrong and that there are laws against it. Pupils appreciate and celebrate the differences they have. Leaders provide pupils with opportunities to have a voice in school through the pupil parliament. Pupils appreciate the chance to have a say in what happens in school.

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The trust has a secure understanding of what the school does well and what can be even better. The local school board supports leaders while holding them to account for the quality of education pupils receive. Local school board members ensure that leaders support staff to manage their own workload and well-being. Staff feel well supported and are proud to work at the school. Leaders’ work to engage the parental community has been successful, and parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular and relevant training so they can spot the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff report concerns promptly. Leaders take relevant action on concerns raised in a timely manner. They seek support from relevant external agencies in addition to offering well-being support in school. Leaders complete and record accurately the required checks on new adults working in the school. 13 June 2023

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Pupils learn how to keep safe in a range of situations, including when online. They know that there are trusted adults in school whom they can speak with should they have worries or concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some inconsistencies in the teaching of the reading curriculum. This means that, while pupils achieve well, they do not always secure as deep an understanding of reading as leaders would like. Leaders must continue to monitor and provide the ongoing training and support staff need to ensure that pupils secure the deep understanding of reading that leaders expect them 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 predecessor school, Colne Engaine Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, to be good in June 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.

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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. 13 June 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Colne Engaine Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy in April 2019. When the predecessor school, Colne Engaine Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of The Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Schools Trust.  The headteacher took up post in September 2022 and was previously deputy headteacher at the school.  The school’s most recent inspection of its religious character under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 was in November 2017. It will receive its next inspection within eight years of that date.  There is breakfast and after-school care for pupils on site that is run by an external provider.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. 13 June 2023

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 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 early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector reviewed curriculum plans in science, and design and technology. The lead inspector also listened to pupils reading with a familiar member of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised safeguarding policies, the school’s record of background checks on adults at the school, and a sample of child protection files. Inspectors also spoke with governors from the local

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school board, the designated safeguarding lead and staff about safeguarding practices at the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, staff, local school board governors, a community governor, the chief executive office of the trust, the school improvement partner from the trust and pupils.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including behaviour logs, bullying records, attendance records, pupil records, minutes of local school board meetings, school improvement monitoring reports, safeguarding audits, school development plans and school policies.  There were 32 responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, which were considered.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils. Inspectors spoke with pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for school staff. Inspectors met with

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staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Michael Williams, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Hemmings His Majesty’s Inspector 13 June 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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