Caversham Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Caversham Park Primary School Queensway, Caversham Park Village, Reading, Berkshire RG4 6RP

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Outcome

Caversham Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school with high aspiration for all. Children sit at the centre of everything because everyone sees the school first and foremost as a caring family. Pupils tell you that all are welcome, and they mean it. New pupils join often. Many are from abroad. They settle quickly because of the dedication of staff and the kindly approach of pupils already attending the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations of behaviour are high here. Pupils know what is acceptable and what is not. This leads to happy and productive classrooms where staff and pupils work together in harmony. Children in Reception have quickly settled into the school’s routines. They already know what to do and are hungry to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Discussions with pupils reveal many positives and very few negatives about how they see their school. An older pupil explained how she appreciated the encouragement she received from her teacher to perform in front of the whole school. When asked how it had gone, she described the experience as ‘good’. Other pupils immediately disagreed, saying it had been ‘utterly amazing’. Kindness is real here. It permeates the school because leaders at all levels and the wider staff team make it so.

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

Pupils enjoy coming to Caversham Park for a number of reasons. By far the biggest of these is the quality and breadth of the curriculum they experience. Despite the inspection taking place at the very start of the school year, pupils could readily describe their favourite lessons and key learning. They talked to inspectors confidently about subjects that are often less prominent or popular in schools. Art and music featured often, as did physical education and subjects other than mathematics and English.

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

Pupils enjoy books and reading. Older pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they have enjoyed together in previous years. Pupils in Year 6 were eager to talk about what 20 September 2023

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they described as ‘classics’, and told how they had loved finding gingerbread crumbs and going on their own ‘hunt for bears’ years ago in Reception.

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The school is successful at teaching pupils to read, especially those who initially struggle. Staff are swift to identify and meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those new to the school who speak English as an additional language, are supported well in all phases of the school. However, on occasion, some staff are less precise in their delivery of the school’s phonics programme than they should be.

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Pupils are equally keen on mathematics and science. They are confident when talking to adults about solving problems, including tackling their ‘ultimate challenges’ in mathematics sessions. In science, pupils are expected to think as scientists and benefit from a well-planned programme of learning that develops their grasp of science over time.

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This is also true of the quality of provision in Reception, where the curriculum is carefully designed to prepare children for the move to Year 1 when the time comes. Parents were particularly positive about the start their children get in Reception. This included parents of disadvantaged pupils, who greatly value the help, encouragement and support they receive from the school over time.

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A carefully considered scheme of work is in place to promote pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education. Pupils’ experiences are also enriched by a range of educational visits and after-school clubs. The school’s eco-warrior team members have a high profile. Their work to raise awareness of issues that impact on the environment and to make the school eco-friendly is growing.

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Ensuring that all pupils have an age-appropriate and firm understanding of their place in society and the wider world has a high importance. Older pupils in particular learn about the key issues that impact on their lives, such as climate change or the plight of refugees. Equalities are championed. All staff take this aspect of the school’s work seriously because they know it is important. The result of this is a culturally diverse yet inclusive school where pupils from different backgrounds and traditions thrive.

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Staff are positive about the school. All who replied to the staff survey are proud to work here and positive about the work of leaders to make their workload manageable. Discussions with staff during classroom visits and other inspection activities underlined the sense of a strong and collegiate staff team at the school. The vast majority of parents who responded to the parent survey are equally positive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 September 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not all staff implement the school’s phonics programme as consistently as they should. This means that, on occasion, some pupils are not being taught to read as well as they might. Leaders need to ensure that all staff teach phonics with complete fidelity to the programme when they deliver phonics lessons or support pupils with their reading.

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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 April 2013.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 20 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.cavershamparkprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a small community primary school. Reception and Year 1 are combined in one class base but follow different curriculum pathways. Pupils in Years 2 to 6 are taught in single class bases.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held a wide range of meetings with leaders at all levels, as well as with teaching and support staff.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body accompanied by two other governors. He also met with two representatives of the local authority. 20 September 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector heard pupils from Years 1 and 3 read to a known member of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of parents, leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors gathered evidence to explore the impact of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s wider curriculum offer and how leaders support staff with their workload.  Pupils were talked to throughout the inspection to gain their views about the school.

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Inspectors considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View. The views of staff and pupils were also considered through Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Clive Close, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sara Staggs His Majesty’s Inspector 20 September 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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