Newborough CofE Primary School

Inspection of Newborough CofE Primary School School Road, Newborough, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE6 7RG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 12 and 13 July 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school. They generally treat each other with tolerance and respect. Instances of bullying or discrimination are very infrequent. Pupils feel safe as they are confident staff will listen to their problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to read confidently. Those who need it get the support they need to catch up. Pupils’ experience of the curriculum is varied. They learn more effectively in some subjects than others. This is because of variability in the quality of subject- specific teaching.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in early years learn in a stimulating environment. However, they do not get enough opportunities to develop their communication and language, as some staff do not engage them in discussion consistently enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their key needs identified effectively. However, some staff do not adapt learning precisely enough to fully meet pupils’ needs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A minority of pupils struggle to manage their emotions. Teachers do not always support these pupils to regulate their behaviour as well as they might. This causes some disruption to others’ learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop spiritual and moral understanding through an effective programme of personal development. For example, pupils recently raised money for the local soup kitchen and a school in Uganda.

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better?

Staff have done their best to fill leadership gaps created by a period of turbulence. Pupils still experience a broad and balanced curriculum, but there is variation in how well this curriculum is planned and taught. Subject leaders have not had the time they need to train staff in some subjects. This means that even when curriculum plans are strong, teachers do not always deliver these well. Consequently, pupils get an inconsistent experience, particularly in subjects other than English and mathematics, and do not always build important knowledge well.

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better?

Teachers do not make effective enough use of their checks on pupils’ learning across the entire curriculum. As a result, teachers do not consistently plan learning that builds on what pupils have learned before.

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better?

Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND have their needs identified effectively. They have put in place suitable intervention strategies to support pupils’ needs. However, leaders have not trained staff in making precise enough adaptations to pupils’ learning within class. This means that, on occasions, pupils with SEND are not as fully included as they might be with the rest of the class. 12 and 13 July 2023

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Leaders have ensured that all staff have been trained in a consistent approach to teaching phonics. Staff are knowledgeable in supporting pupils to decode and blend words. They give those who are behind the additional support they need to read fluently. Most pupils enjoy reading, as staff encourage them to read a variety of different types of books and texts. However, some older pupils lack depth of understanding in how well they comprehend texts. This is because teachers have not provided enough opportunities for them to regularly practise all elements of comprehension.

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Teachers in early years have set up an interesting and stimulating environment for pupils. Leaders have ensured that the early years curriculum is well planned and covers all seven areas of learning effectively. However, teachers have not ensured that all other staff have the expertise they need to develop children’s communication and language skills well enough. This also impacts on how effectively children are able to sustain their focus on activities and the depth in which they explore them.

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A minority of pupils do not behave as well as they should. Some staff do not manage pupils’ behaviour consistently enough or support pupils well enough with managing their emotions. The combination of these factors means that pupils’ learning is disrupted more often than it should be.

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Pupils develop both spiritual and moral understanding through a well-planned programme of religious education and assemblies. Pupils learn about community and teamwork through the forest school, residential visits and whole-school projects, such as learning about the importance of clean water. This helps pupils to be tolerant and understand why supporting others and accepting differences is important. Leaders have ensured that pupils benefit from trips and competitive sporting opportunities that broaden and enrich their education.

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A new governing body has recently ensured that leaders are challenged and supported effectively. They have worked with the local authority to ensure that leaders now have the capacity and support they need, including with well-being and workload. However, although there are initial positive signs, this work is in the very early stages.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have worked to ensure that safeguarding is now everyone’s responsibility. They have carefully reviewed current procedures and are working to refine these. Staff receive appropriate training to be able to identify concerns. Effective safer recruitment checks are in place. Pupils feel safe at school and staff listen to, record and follow up on any concerns carefully. Leaders make referrals to other agencies such as the local authority, as appropriate, and work constructively with these agencies to support pupils and families. 12 and 13 July 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is planned and taught consistently well. This includes in early years, where some staff do not develop children’s speech and language skills effectively enough. As a result, pupils do not build and retain important knowledge and skills as well as they might. Leaders need to ensure that curriculum plans set out how to build pupils’ knowledge effectively across the entire curriculum and that staff have the subject expertise to teach these plans effectively. This includes ensuring that all staff in early years have the training they need to develop children’s speech and language well.  Some pupils with SEND do not get precise enough support in lessons. This means that although they receive suitable interventions to support their needs, they are not always included in lessons as well as they might be. Leaders need to work with teachers to further develop their approach to teaching, so that all teachers

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

are able to adapt learning effectively to fully include pupils and meet their needs well.  Leaders have not ensured that staff support pupils to manage their emotions consistently well or that all pupils have the strategies they need to make positive enough behaviour choices. This means that, on occasions, pupils’ learning is disrupted. Leaders need to ensure that all pupils are equipped with the strategies they need to make positive behaviour choices and that teachers know how to manage behaviour consistently well.  The school has recently faced a period of leadership turbulence. Consequently, although governors have taken effective action to stabilise leadership and provide sufficient leadership capacity moving forward, these plans are yet to be fully implemented. Governors need to ensure that their plans are fully followed through and they continue to monitor the impact of them carefully, including how

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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. 12 and 13 July 2023

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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. 12 and 13 July 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 October 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection, temporary covering arrangements for the role of headteacher were in place. There are clear plans to ensure that a full-time headteacher is in post for September 2023.  Other than one governor, there was a complete change of the governing body in February 2023, including the chair.  The local authority has been actively involved in supporting the school through a period of leadership turbulence. This has included commissioning appropriate leadership arrangements for September 2023.  The school uses one unregistered 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. 12 and 13 July 2023

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 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 the following subjects: reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with curriculum leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  In addition to meetings with the senior leadership team, inspectors met with leaders in the following areas: behaviour and attendance, personal development, safeguarding and SEND.  The lead inspector spoke with the chair of governors, other governors, the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors spoke to pupils and staff, visited lessons and examined a wide range of

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books to explore the quality of the wider curriculum.  To gather their views on the school, inspectors spoke in formal meetings with different groups of pupils. Inspectors spoke with pupils around the school site while they observed break and lunchtimes. Inspectors also considered the 38 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  To evaluate the school’s safeguarding culture, inspectors viewed safeguarding records and procedures and met with a range of pupils, staff and leaders.  The 36 free-text responses made by parents to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, were considered. Inspectors also took account of the 27 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

James Chester, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Fiona McCallum Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 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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