Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

Inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School Love Lane, Cleobury Mortimer, Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY14 8PE

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 20 and 21 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have worked with steely determination to vastly improve the school in a short space of time. Leaders and staff are highly ambitious for pupils. This is a fully inclusive school where all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported to flourish and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, behave well and show excellent manners. They hold doors open for others and say please and thank you. Staff have established clear routines for behaviour that are consistently applied across the school. Pupils say that they sometimes fall out with their friends but this does not happen very often. This was summed up by a pupil who said, ‘Everyone just gets along, no one is sad. No one is ever left out.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and rightly so. They take on a variety of roles and responsibilities, for example bag monitors, play leaders and hall monitors. School councillors take an active role in making decisions about the school, such as the school menu design and the design of the playground.

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better?

New leadership has brought an expertise and understanding of curriculum design and implementation to the school. Staff now have a secure understanding of curriculum research and as a result, they are developing a well-designed and ambitious curriculum. While the core subjects of English, mathematics and science are carefully sequenced in a way that helps pupils to remember their learning, this is not the case in some other subjects. However, leaders are rapidly bringing this change about. All subject leaders are being supported to become experts in their own subjects. However, there is some continued work to do to ensure that all subject leaders strengthen the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders have established a culture of reading across the school. Pupils are keen readers and talk fondly about their favourite books. This includes the youngest children, who were keen to talk about the different books they know and love.

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better?

Pupils learn to read quickly because the phonics curriculum is consistently delivered. All staff are well trained in the school’s approach to phonics. As a result, any misconceptions or errors are identified and addressed quickly. Pupils read books that closely match the sounds they know. If pupils struggle to learn new sounds, they are quickly identified and are given support to help them to keep up.

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better?

As soon as they start school, children in Nursery learn a range of nursery rhymes and stories. This includes two-year-old children, who confidently join in with songs. The curriculum in the early years is carefully planned and sequenced to build on what children can already do. This means that children develop a secure understanding of the curriculum. 20 and 21 June 2023

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Pupils with SEND are well supported both academically and pastorally. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with teachers and parents to quickly identify needs and to put appropriate support in place

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Through the school’s ambitious music curriculum, pupils gain experience of playing a range of instruments. For example, pupils learn how to play a precursor to the cornet to learn the skills of lip and mouth placement, before moving on to play the actual cornet. In addition to learning musical instruments, pupils are given a range of opportunities to develop their gifts and talents outside of the classroom. For example, they play in musical ensembles and concerts.

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Pupils learn to become active citizens. They raise money for a range of causes, including local charities. Pupils talk confidently about fundamental British values and how these are reflected in school life. For example, they talked about how they learned about democracy through voting for school councillors and about the rule of law through visits from the police. Pupils are tolerant and respectful. They understand discrimination and learn about racism and different families. One pupil said, ‘We don’t see each other’s differences, we see what’s the same about one another.’

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Pupils are confident about what constitutes a healthy relationship. They understand what good friendships are and what unhealthy friendships are. Pupils are confident about how to keep safe online.

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The school is very well led and managed. The new headteacher has skilfully worked with all staff to ensure they understand any changes and developments. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive. They are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The strong safeguarding culture across the school has been further embedded under the new leadership. All staff understand the importance of recording and reporting concerns, no matter how small they are. Leaders act on any concerns in a timely manner.

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Safeguarding

All staff know pupils and the local context well. This means they are vigilant for any signs that pupils may be at risk of harm or exploitation. Leaders work closely with external agencies such as housing and the police to ensure that families get the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. 20 and 21 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, leaders’ curriculum thinking is not as well refined or sufficiently embedded as it is in other subjects. This means that pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. Subject leaders should identify the precise component knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in some foundation subjects.  While subject leaders are beginning to ensure that the curriculum is ambitious, the impact of recent changes have not yet been fully monitored. This means that leaders are not fully clear about the impact of their work on pupils’ outcomes in their subjects. Subject leaders should monitor the impact of recent changes to check how well pupils learn the intended curriculum.

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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. 20 and 21 June 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.  The school appointed a new headteacher in September 2022.  The school has a Nursery on site that caters for children from the age of two years.

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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, music and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with curriculum leaders, spoke to pupils and teachers, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. The inspectors heard pupils read. 20 and 21 June 2023

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the SENCo, subject leaders and other members of staff. They also met with representatives from the trust and those responsible for governance.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at breaktimes and lunchtimes. The inspectors gathered pupils’ views from both formal and informal discussions.  Inspectors considered the range of documents that the school keeps with regard to safeguarding. They spoke with pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding arrangements.  Inspectors spoke with parents and carers during the inspection. They considered the responses, including free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View. The responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires were also considered.

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Inspection team

Eve Morris, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Hughes Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 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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