Cherry Hinton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Cherry Hinton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School High Street, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB1 9HH

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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 School 28 and 29 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Cherry Hinton is an inclusive and harmonious community. Pupils understand and live out the school’s values, ‘agape love, courage and thankfulness’. They show this through their kind acts and how they care for each other. Pupils are happy at school. They enjoy positive working relationships with adults and their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that their teachers expect them to work hard in their lessons. Pupils are attentive and try their best. They are eager to learn. They share their ideas willingly and consider the views of others. Pupils happily give their own opinions during class discussion. This creates a purposeful yet calm school environment for learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are accepting of those who are different from themselves. They respect and celebrate differences. For example, assemblies often start with a welcome in a different language represented in the school. Pupils say it is important to treat everyone equally. Bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that adults will sort out any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about important world issues through responding to ‘big questions’. Some have key roles to look after the outside. Use of an outdoor programme helps pupils to build their sense of belonging to a community.

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better?

Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. They have identified the key knowledge pupils need to learn. Leaders’ curriculum plans start from the early years through to Year 6. For example, children in Reception use the tale of ‘The Gingerbread Man’ to create their own maps. This prepares them well for studying subjects such as geography in Year 1 and beyond.

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better?

Leaders have carefully considered how the curriculum builds pupils’ language. This is successful, especially in supporting pupils in the early stages of speaking English. Pupils use technical language to explain their learning. In art, for example, pupils discussed the different techniques artists use in their pictures.

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better?

Leaders are continuing to refine their subject plans. In a few subjects, some of the key knowledge is not broken into sufficiently small steps, and, as such, teaching is not as effective. This means that pupils do not have a secure knowledge on which to build for future learning.

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better?

Teachers make effective checks of pupils’ prior knowledge. Through questioning, teachers identify and address any gaps in pupils’ understanding. Sometimes, teachers do not accurately identify pupils’ starting points for learning. The tasks they plan do not help pupils to extend their thinking. This means pupils do not learn as well as they could. School 28 and 29 June 2023

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. They play an active role in the school community. Adults skilfully adapt plans to ensure that pupils access the same learning as their peers. They understand how to use small steps to help pupils with SEND learn and make progress.

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Love of reading is a priority for this school. This begins with children learning phonics when they start school, in Reception. Staff teach phonics well. Pupils who need support with reading receive extra help. Pupils quickly become fluent readers. Pupils enjoy the daily stories read to them by adults. Reading ambassadors make sure that every class has a wide range of reading materials. They recommend books to their classmates, helping to motivate and inspire them to read.

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Pupils are polite and courteous. They speak confidently to visitors when talking about their school. Pupils behave well, both in and out of class. They enjoy sharing games on the playground, happily mixing with pupils from different classes.

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Pupils learn what it means to be a responsible citizen in modern Britain. They support one another while undertaking different roles, such as eco-warriors and peer mediators. Leaders provide opportunities to extend their horizons through visits and residential trips. Pupils learn about keeping healthy, physically and mentally. The active mile is a daily feature of school life.

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Staff welcome the support they receive from leaders to manage their workload and well-being. Governors hold leaders to account through robust and supportive challenge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand the importance of safeguarding. They make sure that staff are well trained to identify any signs of abuse. Staff receive regular updates to ensure everyone knows what to do if they have a concern. Leaders act quickly in response to any information they receive. Leaders provide vulnerable pupils and families with any help they need. They work closely with external agencies to help keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Governors ensure that all the requirements for recruiting staff are completed. They make regular checks to reassure themselves that every adult knows how to respond when they have a concern.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum does not provide the detailed knowledge to ensure teachers understand and teach what pupils need to know and remember. School 28 and 29 June 2023

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This means that pupils do not develop a secure knowledge on which to build their learning step by step. Leaders need to ensure that their plans are refined to include all the small steps to build pupils’ learning successfully across the curriculum.  In a few cases, teachers do not make appropriate pedagogical choices to help pupils think more deeply about their learning. This means pupils are not challenged to achieve to the level at which they are capable. Leaders should ensure that all teachers understand how to build pupils’ learning from their starting points so that they build a strong depth of knowledge.

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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. School 28 and 29 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10287082 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 and 27 April 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school requires a section 48 inspection as a denominational Church of England faith school. This is scheduled for the next academic year.  The current headteacher took up post in September 2019.  The school manages a before-school breakfast club.  The school does not make use of any 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.

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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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and art. For the deep dives, inspectors discussed the School 28 and 29 June 2023

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curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils in Years 1 to 3read to a familiar adult. Inspectors met with groups of pupils from across the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the assistant headteachers, one of whom is the special educational needs coordinator, and subject leaders, including those who support and work with families The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority. The lead inspector also spoke with six governors, including the chair.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the employment checks undertaken when staff are appointed, safeguarding records, the school development plan, the school’s evaluation of its own performance and minutes of governors’ meetings.  Inspectors took account of parent responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent

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View, and the responses to the pupil survey and the staff survey. Inspectors spoke informally with parents as they brought their children to school.

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Inspection team

Steve Mellors, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lucy Roberts Ofsted Inspector School 28 and 29 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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