Ottershaw Christ Church Church of England Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Ottershaw Christ Church Church of England Junior School Fletcher Road, Ottershaw, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0JY

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Outcome

Ottershaw Christ Church Church of England Junior School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are rightly very proud of their school. They enthusiastically follow the school’s mantra, ‘live life in all its fullness’, which they do with compassion and courage. Pupils enjoy coming to school and rise to the high expectations that leaders, staff and governors have of them. They proudly represent their school in sports competitions, including running and football. Pupils relish the school’s wide range of rich experiences and opportunities. They learn to believe in themselves and think that ‘anything is possible’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are happy, safe and feel cared for. The school rules, ‘Try hard. Be nice’, are known and understood by all pupils. Relationships are supportive and respectful. Bullying is rare, and any issues are quickly dealt with. Playtimes are social and active times of the day. The running track, along with table tennis and the trim trail, are popular activities during lunchtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders foster a real sense of community, which parents and pupils value. In summing up parents’ views, one parent commented, ‘This is a wonderful school that nurtures every child and cares passionately about each child. It is led by a fantastic team.’

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

Learning across this school is ambitious, inclusive and meaningful. As a result, pupils achieve highly. The curriculum is very well designed and developed. Subjects are mapped out to include the essential vocabulary and knowledge that pupils will learn. Lessons are often planned with a focus on ‘local to global’. Through well-planned, rich opportunities, staff bring learning to life. Pupils were captivated when talking about their own 11 and 12 July 2023

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performance of ‘Macbeth’ and their visit to the Globe Theatre. Pupils make links between their learning in different subjects. For example, they recognise and use the measuring skills they have learned in mathematics and science to create graphs in geography.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support and access the full curriculum. Effective assessment and communication enable staff to quickly identify pupils’ additional needs. Staff give all pupils the tools they need to succeed. Some are helped to achieve success and independence by using technology. Across the school, staff check what pupils have learned and remembered. They provide regular opportunities for pupils to recall and build on their learning.

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Leaders have prioritised reading and know that this is essential to pupils’ success in the wider curriculum. Staff are highly skilled in teaching reading and supporting pupils to prevent them from falling behind. Adults guide pupils to select appropriate books so that they experience success. High-quality texts enrich the curriculum, widen pupils’ vocabulary and promote reading for pleasure. Pupils were keen to share their English books and talk about how reading helps them to use more adventurous vocabulary in their writing. Pupils and staff value daily story times to share their love of stories and books. They achieve highly and read with fluency and understanding.

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Provision for pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. There are wide- ranging opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities and develop leadership skills. Pupils have access to many enjoyable clubs. They are encouraged to ‘give back’ through social projects and work within the local community. The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum promotes and celebrates difference. Pupils learn how to keep emotionally healthy and how to keep safe. They take part in debates to develop confidence in speaking and to understand and appreciate others’ views. The school’s values of ambition, compassion, courage, honesty, perseverance, responsibility, resilience, respect, and trust are embedded in school life. Pupils are focused on learning and show respect for each other, staff and the school environment.

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Leaders, staff and governors are united in their vision and know their pupils and local community well. Everyone feels valued, supported and proud of their school. Governors and trustees provide excellent support and challenge. They fulfil their statutory duties with diligence.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Regular training enables staff to recognise the signs that might be a cause for concern. Staff know the procedures they need to follow if they are worried about a pupil. Record-keeping is detailed, and leaders respond quickly to any concerns. They work with other agencies to ensure that pupils and families get the support they need. 11 and 12 July 2023

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves physically healthy and how to stay safe, including when online. Through the reflection sessions, pupils learn how to maintain a healthy mind.

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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, Ottershaw Church of England Junior School, to be good in March 2016.

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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. 11 and 12 July 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268466 Type of school Junior

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School details

Website www.ottershawcoeschool.surrey.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Ottershaw Christ Church Church of England Junior School converted to become an academy school in February 2019. When its predecessor school, Ottershaw Church of England Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is one of 18 schools in the Good Shepherd Trust. The board of trustees has delegated some strategic responsibilities to the school’s local committee, which fulfils the functions of a local governing body.  The school has a religious character as a Church of England school in the Diocese of Guildford. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in June 2017. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place before January 2026.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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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 has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 11 and 12 July 2023

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, inclusion manager and subject leaders. She spoke with the trust’s executive leaders.  The inspector met with members of the local committee, including the chair and a link trustee from the trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector reviewed appointment procedures and safeguarding records, including the single central record. The inspector spoke to staff and pupils about safeguarding.  The inspector considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and parents’ free-text comments. The inspector also spoke to a few parents before school.

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 The inspector considered the staff survey and talked to staff to gather their views about the school, including about their workload and well-being. She spoke to pupils during lessons and at other times of the school day.  The inspector reviewed various documents, including the school’s strategic plans, external reviews and governance documents.

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Inspection team

Kirstine Boon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 July 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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