Roxwell Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Roxwell Church of England Primary School The Street, Roxwell, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 4PE

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The head of school is Sarah Tate. This school is part of the LIFE Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Julian Dutnall, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Louise Douglas. There is also an executive headteacher, Melissa Taylor, who is responsible for this school and two others. 26 and 27 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at this warm and friendly school. They live out the school’s vision of ‘Discovering a world of possibilities together’, in their enthusiasm for all aspects of school life. Pupils behave beautifully around the school and play happily on the playground. They come here to learn and to have fun.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have consistently high expectations of all pupils and pupils meet these. They thrive on praise. They are proud to receive house points for their achievements. Pupils love to hear how well their house has fared at the weekly celebration assemblies. Year 6 head prefects and house captains lead these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils concentrate very well in lessons. They listen to the adults and follow their instructions promptly. This includes the youngest children. In the Reception class, children know the routines. They are keen to please and eager to learn. The positive attitudes children learn in the early years stay with them as they move through the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many opportunities for pupils to develop outside of the classroom. These include singing at the Royal Albert Hall, dancing at Chelmsford’s Civic Theatre and putting on a Christmas show in Chelmsford Cathedral.

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better?

The school’s curriculum has been carefully planned in a two-year cycle to support the mixed-age classes. The curriculum for each subject breaks learning down into logical steps. These are sequenced, so that pupils build their knowledge and skills over time. The subject-specific vocabulary pupils learn is identified on curriculum documents.

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better?

The early years curriculum maps out the essential knowledge and skills children need. It prepares them well for later learning. In the Reception class, children develop their fine motor skills by picking up ‘worms’ with tweezers. They make marks with paintbrushes and water on the fence, or with chalk on the playground. These activities help to prepare children well for early writing.

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better?

Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. They explain new learning to pupils clearly. They revisit previous learning frequently. This helps pupils to remember it. In mathematics, for example, every lesson includes a ‘ten-minute-maths’ recap session. This enables pupils to practise and secure what they already know.

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better?

In lessons, teachers use effective questioning to check pupils’ understanding. They address any misconceptions and adjust their teaching when necessary. The school has introduced a new system to check pupils’ understanding in the foundation subjects. This enables teachers to see if there are any gaps in pupils’ learning. However, this system is in the early stages and needs more time to have a positive impact. 26 and 27 September 2023

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Phonics teaching starts when children join the Reception class. Well-trained adults deliver daily sessions. Adults ensure that pupils practise the sounds they are learning. Pupils read texts that are matched to these sounds. Adults identify pupils who are not keeping up and need extra support. They put this effective support in place quickly. Older pupils read widely and regularly. In reading lessons, pupils develop their vocabulary and reading skills. They are then able to discuss authors’ intentions or infer what characters are like.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. The school identifies these pupils promptly. Teachers skilfully adapt their lessons. Pupils get the extra help and support that they need. Pupils with SEND benefit from calm classrooms and widely understood routines. Learning is rarely disrupted and most pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The school’s programme for personal development is carefully planned. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and positive relationships through the personal, social, health and economic curriculum. They learn about rules and personal safety when both on and offline. In religious education, pupils learn about the world’s major faiths. Pupils are respectful of difference and regard it as something to celebrate.

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A wide range of well-attended extra-curricular clubs extends pupils’ skills and talents. These include archery, hip-hop dance and gardening. There is a strong programme of pastoral support for pupils’ and adults’ well-being. This includes the occasional ride on Paddy, the school horse.

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There have been significant improvements to school leadership in recent years. Trust leaders and the governing body have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and next steps. They are rigorous in their oversight of the school’s work, providing challenge and support, as necessary. Staff appreciate the many opportunities for professional development provided by the trust and by being part of the three schools hub. They feel valued by leaders. Leaders have established an ambitious vision for the school, which is understood and shared by all.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s system for checking pupils’ understanding at the end of a unit of work in the foundation subjects is new. There has not yet been sufficient time for the impact of this system to be seen. This means that, the school does not have a strong enough picture of how well the curriculum is working. The school should ensure this system is well understood and fully implemented by teachers. This will 26 and 27 September 2023

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give the school the information needed to improve the curriculum and address any gaps in pupils’ learning.

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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). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Roxwell CofE Primary School converted to become an academy in September 2019. When its predecessor school, Roxwell CofE Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The school joined the LIFE Education Trust in September 2019.  The head of school and executive headteacher took over their roles in April 2023.  The school has a religious character. The previous section 48 inspection was in March 2022 and the next section 48 inspection will be in six years’ time.  The school does not use the services of any alternative providers.

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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. 26 and 27 September 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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with a range of leaders, including senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, governors, including the chair of the local governance committee, and trust leaders. The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the diocese of Chelmsford on the telephone.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. The lead inspector listened to several pupils read to a familiar adult.  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.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documentation and policies. These included the school development plan and minutes of local governing committee and trust board meetings.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire. They also spoke with pupils, parents and staff to gather their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Caroline Crozier, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Brenda Watson Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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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