Ann Edwards Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Ann Edwards Church of England Primary School Berkeley Close, South Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5UW

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 October 2023

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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 10 and 11 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and attend school regularly. Many pupils join the school during the academic year. The school helps pupils to settle quickly. When pupils leave school due to their family’s military deployment or at the end of Year 6, they are socially and emotionally prepared well for the next stage of their education. The care and support for pupils’ well-being, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, are a strength of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about the school clubs and educational visits on offer. Pupils enjoy a wide variety of enrichment experiences, such as performing music and regular outdoor learning sessions. These carefully planned activities help to develop pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils’ achievements are celebrated in the school’s ‘gold book’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s curriculum is in place. Pupils can recall subject-specific words and knowledge well in some subjects, such as art and design. Other, wider curriculum subjects continue to develop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils follow the school’s values in all that they do. They are polite and show respect to each other and adults. Staff help pupils to develop an awareness of how to care for others. For example, pupils demonstrate maturity and kindness in their role as school prefects.

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better?

Children in early years quickly learn the school’s routines and expectations. Children actively engage in learning through play. They are helped to develop the necessary skills for learning right from the start. For example, children can independently find and put on their wellington boots to play and learn in the mud corner. Children show resilience when trying to climb and balance on the obstacle course. They share resources and enjoy exploring the indoor and outdoor learning spaces together.

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better?

Staff support children in early years to speak and to listen carefully to each other and adults. Children are introduced to the joy of books in early years. The school introduced a new phonics programme in September 2023. Staff have received appropriate training to deliver phonics. Leaders continue to support staff, so their knowledge of the phonics programme, including catch-up sessions, is secure.

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better?

Staff routinely check pupils’ phonics knowledge and spot those who need help. The letters and sounds in pupils’ reading books match the phonics that pupils are taught. Staff help pupils to develop their reading speed and accuracy well. A new reading scheme is used by pupils who have secured their phonics knowledge. Discussion of the class books supports the development of pupils’ reading comprehension. A wide range of high-quality books is available for pupils to read in every class and on the library bus. 10 and 11 October 2023

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The school’s curriculum identifies the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. However, the school has not checked that its ambitious curriculum is taught well in all subjects. Some learning activities do not help pupils to build on their prior knowledge. In these subjects, pupils have gaps in their subject-specific vocabulary and knowledge.

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Targets in individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do always not match their group and whole-class learning activities. When this occurs, pupils complete learning activities that do not meet their needs. As a result, the school does not know whether pupils meet their targets. Staff cannot accurately check pupils’ progression through the planned curriculum. Provision for pupils with SEND does not always meet their needs.

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Pupils are taught about the importance of respect and safe relationships. They develop an appreciation of difference and diversity across Britain. Pupils know how to be physically and mentally healthy. Fundamental British values are taught through the curriculum and assemblies. Pupils understand the importance of democracy, justice and tolerance in society. Pupils think that everyone should be treated fairly.

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Pupils behave well. They move around the school in a calm and orderly way. Some pupils receive help to recognise and manage their feelings. This work is successful. Leaders have plans to roll out this practice across the school.

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The school carefully considers pupils’ attendance information to ensure that patterns of absence are understood and tackled appropriately. Individual families are supported to remove barriers to their children attending school. This may involve support from outside agencies. The impact of the school’s work to improve pupils’ attendance is clear. Many pupils with low prior attendance now attend school regularly.

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Governors share the ambitions of school leaders. They take time to listen and respond appropriately to concerns and questions from staff and from parents and carers.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not check how pupils’ individual education plan targets are used. This means that provision for pupils with SEND does not always meet their needs effectively. The school needs to ensure that provision is precisely matched to pupils’ needs. 10 and 11 October 2023

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 The school’s curriculum is not implemented as intended in some foundation subjects. In these subjects, learning activities do not always provide pupils with opportunities to secure and deepen their knowledge sufficiently well. This means that pupils are unable to build on prior learning and make connections between the concepts taught. The school needs to support staff to ensure that pupils know more, can do more and remember more of the school’s curriculum.

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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’ 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). 10 and 11 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Ann Edwards Church of England Primary School is a maintained school in Gloucestershire local authority.  The school is part of the Diocese of Gloucester.  The school does not use 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.

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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 had 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.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, staff, pupils and governors, including the chair of the governing body. They also met with a representative from 10 and 11 October 2023

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Gloucestershire local authority and a representative from the Diocese of Gloucester.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, art and music. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans and visited a sample of lessons in phonics, mathematics, art and music. The inspectors also spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also looked at science, geography and history books. They discussed the school’s curriculum, the early years curriculum and provision with leaders.  The inspectors observed pupils during breaktimes and spoke with pupils and leaders about personal, social and health education and opportunities for pupils’ personal development.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of 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.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. She also took into consideration the responses to the surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Fox Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 October 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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