Prestbury St Mary's Church of England Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Prestbury St Mary’s Church of England Junior School Bouncers Lane, Prestbury, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 5JB

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Outcome

Prestbury St Mary’s Church of England Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy warm and respectful relationships with each other, and with staff. Pupils and staff alike feel part of ‘TEAM Prestbury’, in which everyone ‘Tries, Enjoys and Achieves More’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations, and pupils live up to them. Pupils know the school’s distinctive values well. They appreciate how leaders recognise their achievements and celebrate when they uphold the school values. For example, pupils speak enthusiastically about earning the ‘Prestbury learner penguin’ or the ‘times table toucan’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes toward their learning. They follow routines readily and rarely disrupt each other’s learning. Leaders have placed a strong emphasis on pupils’ mental health. For example, pupils say they learn to ‘keep connected’ with others. They eagerly shared a display of ‘support balloons’, naming people who are there to help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests, such as whole-school singing performances, allotment club and sports day. Pupils enjoy representing their ‘houses’ which are named after trees on the school site.

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

Pupils learn a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders have sequenced the curriculum so that pupils build on what they already know and can do. In mathematics, for example, pupils use their knowledge of mathematical facts and methods to solve problems confidently. Where the curriculum is strongest, pupils remember their learning well and build detailed knowledge and skills over time

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

In most subjects, leaders have considered carefully the most important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn. In geography, for instance, pupils study human and physical aspects of their locality and learn increasingly complex map skills. Teachers have 27 and 28 June 2023

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the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum well. They present information clearly and encourage pupils to discuss their learning. Pupils do this successfully, using the subject-specific vocabulary that they are taught. Teaching routinely checks how well pupils learn the curriculum. As a result, teachers pick up pupils’ misconceptions and remedy them quickly. Leaders continue to devise the curriculum in a few subjects. Where this is the case, pupils do not yet gain detailed knowledge and skills.

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Pupils enjoy reading. They enthusiastically borrow books from the ‘lending library’ and recommend books to each other. They eagerly share their reading of different genres, such as fantasy and classics. Pupils learn and perform poetry. Teachers read to pupils regularly and share their own love of reading.

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Leaders provide the right support for pupils still learning to read. Pupils read books linked closely to the sounds they are learning. This early reading curriculum helps them to read with increasing accuracy. Once pupils can read fluently, they move on to books that continue to develop their confidence and enjoyment of reading.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are known well by staff. Leaders identify precisely how the curriculum and teaching should be adapted for them. Teachers follow this guidance closely. Parents review the impact of support with leaders. Consequently, most pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves physically healthy. They relish the weekly ‘fitness Friday’ session, playing ball sports and keeping active on playground equipment. Pupils gain age-appropriate knowledge about healthy relationships. They learn the importance of mutual tolerance and challenging any form of disrespectful behaviour.

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Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to learn about democracy and citizenship. For example, pupils represent their peers on the school council and make decisions with leaders. Pupils raise money for charities and earn ‘silver stickers’ to contribute to their ‘house’. Older pupils feel they receive useful information to prepare them for the next steps in their education.

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Governors know the school well and ensure that resources are well managed. They provide intelligent support and challenge to leaders. Governors and leaders are sensitive to staff’s workload and well-being. Staff feel valued and well supported to develop professionally. Most parents speak positively about the school. However, a minority do not feel their concerns are dealt with well enough.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils trust adults working in the school. They feel comfortable speaking to a member of staff if they are worried about anything. Leaders draw on appropriate external expertise to help pupils learn how to keep safe, including when online. There is appropriate policy and practice to manage cases of harmful sexual behaviour arising in or out of school. 27 and 28 June 2023

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Leaders are tenacious in their work to protect children. They work closely with local safeguarding partners and escalate their concerns if information or support are not forthcoming. There are suitable arrangements for the safer recruitment of staff.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not embedded the new curriculum. As a result, pupils do not gain detailed knowledge and skills in every subject. Leaders need to implement and then evaluate the new curriculum to ensure that pupils learn well in all subjects.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2012.

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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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England school and is part of the Diocese of Gloucester. The school received its last section 48 inspection in July 2017.  The school does not use 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.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, curriculum leaders, governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and support staff, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised the single 27 and 28 June 2023

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central record of adults working in the school. The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and examined the school’s safeguarding records. The inspector also spoke with a range of pupils and staff about safeguarding.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 27 and 28 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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