Cholsey Primary School

Inspection of Cholsey Primary School Church Road, Cholsey, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 9PP

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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 3 and 4 July 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are very keen for pupils to develop as individuals. Leaders place the school’s ‘CARE’ values of curiosity, aspiration, respect and enthusiasm at the heart of the school experience for pupils. Leaders track each pupil’s personal development regularly. This includes considering attributes such as ‘ability to form relationships’, ‘self-belief’, and ‘sustaining focus’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ character development is reflected in their behaviour and conduct. Pupils’ behaviour in class is calm. Around the school, pupils demonstrate good manners, such as holding doors open for others. Pupils also behave well outside and play together well. Leaders trust pupils to show their own leadership skills. There are traditional roles, such as house captains, school councillors and sports leaders. ‘CARE ambassadors’ enhance this provision further. These are pupils who volunteer to support other pupils to have constructive, social and happy lunchtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop a strong sense of the needs of others. Pupils speak inclusively about people from different backgrounds. Leaders ensure that pupils develop their own understanding of how to keep themselves safe. This enables pupils to become more independent as they grow older. For example, Year 6 pupils learn about various safeguarding issues, including cyber-safety and county lines, when they visit ‘Junior Citizens’.

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better?

Leaders aspire to deliver a high-quality education for all pupils. There are strong, shared values, which all governors, staff and pupils know and understand. Leaders have implemented a clear and sequenced curriculum for all subjects. This is now enabling better outcomes for pupils in all subject areas.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised improving pupils’ reading this year. Leaders have implemented the phonics programme successfully. Teachers have good phonics knowledge and deliver phonics lessons with clarity. Teachers ensure that pupils, especially in the younger year groups, have books they can read and understand. Some pupils do not learn to read as fast as they could. When this is the case, leaders put support into place to help those pupils. However, this support needs greater clarity and consistency between classes.

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better?

The curriculum in all other subjects is increasingly effective. In mathematics, despite previous historically low outcomes, there have been purposeful improvements. Many pupils now learn mathematical content and strategies effectively. In the wider curriculum, pupils make good progress in learning knowledge and skills in most classes. For example, some pupils can confidently recall their learning in computing, history or religious education (RE). Teachers check how well pupils are learning during lessons, especially in mathematics and English. Staff address any gaps or misunderstandings they identify in these subjects. However, this is not the case in all 3 and 4 July 2023

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subjects. Subject leaders are developing a better understanding of the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in their subjects, but this could be more effective. For example, assessment processes in many wider curriculum subjects are not yet robust. Subject leaders have also had training on how to monitor the impact of their subject curriculum, but this is not yet effective in all subjects. This means that curriculum adaptations are not always made quickly enough so that all pupils can learn as well as they should in those subjects.

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Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well led. Leaders have implemented some effective processes that help to identify the individual needs of pupils with SEND. This enables pupils with SEND to access and achieve more in lessons. Leaders and teachers track how well the individualised provision meets pupils’ needs.

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Pupils’ behaviour is calm and courteous. Leaders ensure that the procedures all staff follow are clear. The vast majority of children conduct themselves well in classrooms, around the school and outside. Some pupils need more support for their behaviour. Leaders create plans based on the individual behaviour needs of pupils. They check these regularly to ensure they have the impact that leaders intend.

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Pupils’ wider development has many strengths. Leaders have embedded the relationships and sex education and health education curriculum. Pupils receive useful and age-appropriate learning around growing up. Pupils have the opportunity to learn a variety of musical instruments, and many pupils participate in the annual music concert. While there are many sports clubs, the amount and variety of inter- school fixtures and competitions are limited. Pupils learn early enterprise skills. For example, at the summer fete, the group who raised the most money at their stall won a small prize.

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Staff know that they work in a supportive environment. They feel that leaders and colleagues communicate well. Governors underpin this with a strong understanding of the school’s current needs. They are outward looking and plan carefully for its future requirements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff understand the actions to take to keep pupils safe. This is because training is thorough and regular. All staff contribute to records that detail the concern, how leaders respond and the outcome. Recruitment procedures are robust, with all appropriate checks made on staff and visitors.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say they feel safe at school. They know that they can seek support from trusted adults, when needed. Pupils talks confidently about their learning of safe online practices. This includes the concept of ‘SMART’, while older pupils understand about scams and mobile phone safety. 3 and 4 July 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that assessment processes are fully in place in all subjects. As a result, leaders do not know whether all pupils achieve as well as they could in many subjects of the wider curriculum. Leaders should ensure that they know how well pupils understand and remember all the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn in all areas of the curriculum.  The quality of subject leadership and monitoring is developing. However, some subject leaders have not fully checked that pupils’ learning in their subject area is as effective as possible. Leaders need to support subject leaders further so that they have the knowledge and skills to check what is working well and what needs further development. This will help to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as possible.

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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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256272 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 and 16 March 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision.  The school offers breakfast and after-school provision for pupils at the school. It is managed by school leaders and run by non-teaching members of staff.

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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

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher and four members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. Inspectors also met with three representatives of the local umbrella trust and other leaders within the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing, history and RE. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the 3 and 4 July 2023

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curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records, interviewing staff, and through discussions with pupils.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self- evaluation reports, minutes of local governing body meetings, minutes of board of trustees meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Chris Parker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Harris Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 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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