Oakington CofE Primary School

Inspection of Oakington CofE Primary School Water Lane, Oakington, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB24 3AL

p.1

Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Nathan Clark. The academy is part of the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Adrian Ball, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Jackson. 26 and 27 September 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Oakington Primary. They learn in a happy and safe school community. Pupils of all faiths embody the school’s Christian values. They enjoy positive relationships with caring staff. Pupils and their families receive effective support for their well-being. Parents praise how pupils ‘love going to school.’

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations are high. Pupils benefit from a well-planned curriculum. They value how teachers make lessons interesting. As a result, pupils like knowing new things. They describe how learning about the Egyptians results in them wanting to read books about this at home.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is orderly. Pupils behave well throughout the day. They focus well in lessons. Children in early years quickly respond to clear routines. Pupils learn how to be kind. Older pupils look out for younger ones. Pupils are polite and friendly. For example, they open the door for adults with a smile.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy an ample range of opportunities. Exciting trips extend what they know from class, such as to learn about science in Cambridge. There is a variety of interesting and fun clubs, including coding, dodgeball and musical theatre. Pupils can volunteer for leadership positions and charity work. These experiences successfully develop their character.

p.2

better?

Leaders and the trust have worked on changing the school culture. They have established a clear and consistent ethos that has successfully contributed towards raising standards. The school is vigilant in keeping children safe.

p.2

better?

There is a well-designed curriculum. This identifies the knowledge pupils need to be ready for secondary school. Careful planning breaks down the learning step by step. Leaders identify the key vocabulary pupils should know, including by when. Children in Reception learn what they require for key stage 1, such as learning about number. Subject leaders make sure the curriculum is put in place as it should be. As a result, learning builds closely on what pupils already know. Pupils remember a lot of what they have been taught. For example, key stage 2 pupils recite multiplication tables with confidence.

p.2

better?

Staff teach the curriculum as intended. Their subject knowledge is strong. For instance, teachers helpfully model new content in geography. They plan activities that help pupils apply their learning. In the early years, staff show children how to take turns, which enables them to demonstrate what they know successfully. Teachers check learning carefully through, for example, well-considered questions. They correct misconceptions. Consequently, pupils develop a deep understanding of their subjects and achieve well. 26 and 27 September 2023

p.2

3

Reading is prioritised. Phonics is taught effectively. Staff make sure pupils know and remember their sounds. Books pupils read match the sounds with which they are confident. This means early readers quickly learn to read with fluency. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils in key stage 2 develop their vocabulary and understanding of texts. Consequently, they enjoy the books they read and develop a love for reading.

p.3

3

The school is ambitious for all pupils to learn what they need to be successful. Pupils with SEND get the help they require to access the curriculum. Leaders identify these pupils’ needs carefully and accurately. While this is the case, the help pupils with SEND receive for their learning is sometimes not as precise as it should be. On occasion, staff are not fully clear what the best support is for these pupils. This means that pupils with SEND do not always do as well as they might.

p.3

3

There is a well-considered behaviour policy. Staff and pupils follow this consistently. The school deals with the underlying causes of any misbehaviour. Pupils who struggle with aspects of behaviour, such as attendance, get the help they need to improve. As a result, incidents of poor behaviour are rare, and learning happens without interruption.

p.3

3

There is an appropriate curriculum for personal development. In personal, social and health education (PSHE), pupils learn important content, such as the rule of law. They remember learning about topics such as road safety and ‘bikeability’. However, the way PSHE is delivered does not help them make rich connections with some of their prior learning. Pupils have thoughtful views about areas such as considering pupils with different identities. However, they do not develop the depth of understanding they should.

p.3

3

Governors and the trust know the school well. They check regularly on safeguarding. The trust monitors provision closely, providing challenge where appropriate. Where the school needs support, such as curriculum training for staff, this is provided and is effective. Governors ensure that staff well-being is carefully considered.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some cases, the support for pupils with SEND is not planned and communicated to staff as clearly as it should be. This means that some pupils with SEND do not do as well as they otherwise might. The school needs to ensure that the support for SEND is precisely planned and that staff get the training they need to give these pupils the best possible support. The school should monitor this work to ensure it is effective. 26 and 27 September 2023

p.3

4

 The PSHE programme is not always delivered in a way that helps pupils make the rich connections they should with the different strands of their learning. This means that, although pupils remember what they learn, they do not develop the deep understanding they could. The school needs to ensure that the PSHE programme is taught so that it helps pupils explore in depth the connections to their prior and future learning.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 26 and 27 September 2023

p.4

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 The school became an academy and joined the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust on 1 May 2019. When its predecessor school, Oakington CofE VA Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in July 2018, it was judged to be inadequate overall, with safeguarding being ineffective. A subsequent monitoring visit by Ofsted in November 2018 judged safeguarding to be effective.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There are well-attended breakfast and after-school clubs.  The school has a Christian character and was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 on 5 February 2020.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 26 and 27 September 2023

p.5

6

 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 met with the headteacher, staff, and pupils. Inspectors met with the director of education and hub director from the trust. As part of evaluating governance, the lead inspector met with the chief executive officer from the trust, as well as the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, met with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. In early reading, this consisted of listening to pupils read to a familiar adult.  As part of evaluating the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors met with

p.6

6

leaders, governors, staff and pupils and scrutinised the school’s single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. They considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. The lead inspector spoke by phone with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including curriculum plans, school development plans, policies and documentation for behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors considered the 61 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the 58 free-text comments submitted. They considered the eight responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff, and the 27 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils.

p.6

Inspection team

Charlie Fordham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Linda Allison Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 September 2023

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7