Orleton CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Orleton CofE Primary School Orleton, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 4HQ

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2023

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Outcome

Orleton CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Orleton CofE. There is a real family feel to the school. It is welcoming and distinct in its community spirit. Pupils are happy and well looked after. They have positive relationships with staff. Pupils trust adults to help them with their concerns or worries. As a result, pupils feel safe. Parents speak highly of the support from the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave consistently well. They are polite and friendly. Routines and behaviour expectations are well established and understood by all. From early years onwards, pupils show the school’s values of love, alertness, faith, courage and strength in all they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school strives hard for the pupils to realise the vision ‘To be the best I can be’. Pupils are keen to meet the high expectations that the school has for them. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), work with determination in the classroom and achieve well as a result.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take their leadership responsibilities seriously. These roles include the Worship Committee, which helps out at the Easter and Christmas services, and the Eco Committee, which gives presentations in assembly about the importance of recycling and looking after the environment.

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

The school is well led and managed. The school benefits from sharing expertise with the partnership school. The school has developed an ambitious curriculum that inspires pupils to learn. It sets out knowledge and skills from Reception to Year 6. Lessons are well structured, and teachers present information clearly so that pupils learn key information. Pupils find this enjoyable. Leaders have broken down learning into small steps. This helps pupils, including those with SEND, to be successful. 18 and 19 October 2023

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Pupils can remember their learning well in a number of subjects. For example, in history, they can confidently share their knowledge about events such as those leading up to World War Two and its impact on life at that time. This knowledge helps pupils write questions to ask visitors who experienced the war. Strategies have been routinely introduced for teachers to check and recap pupils’ knowledge. However, there are a few subjects where these recall strategies have not yet been implemented. This means that pupils are less confident in remembering key knowledge once they have moved on to a new topic.

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The teaching of reading and phonics is a high priority in school. Children in the Reception class start on their early reading journey by learning phonics straight away. The school’s systematic and targeted approach to phonics enables pupils to become fluent and confident readers. They acquire the essential skills and knowledge to decode words accurately and independently. Staff deliver the agreed phonics programme effectively. Books are closely matched to the phonetic sounds pupils know. Staff are attentive to the needs of individual pupils. They provide support when necessary to ensure that pupils who fall behind catch up quickly. The promotion of a love of reading is evident throughout the school with, for example, the daily story time and designated reading areas in each classroom. Staff provide pupils with opportunities to discuss books in reading lessons.

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The specific needs of pupils with SEND are identified at an early stage. The school takes advice from external agencies where required. Staff adapt learning, and pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. As such, all pupils learn well.

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Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Children in the early years quickly settle into routines that help them learn. This is the foundation for good behaviour later in school. Pupils listen attentively in class and are keen to share their ideas. They enjoy the recognition they receive for good work in celebration assemblies. Pupils attend school well.

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The school offers an impressive range of opportunities to support pupils’ broader development. Taking part in performances and clubs, as well as visits to the theatre, places of worship and residential trips, provide pupils with a wealth of experiences.

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However, looking at the curriculum in a wider context, it does not fully support pupils’ understanding of the value and purpose of what they learn. This means they do not have the awareness of applying their skills and knowledge in the real world.

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Those responsible for governance share leaders’ high ambitions for pupils. They make effective checks on many different aspects of school life.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel that leaders care about their workload and well-being. The school provides high-quality professional development for staff. Consequently, staff develop strong subject knowledge. This enables them to teach the curriculum confidently. 18 and 19 October 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority )

 There are not enough opportunities for pupils to recap prior learning in some subjects. This means that pupils sometimes struggle to remember key knowledge. The school should ensure that the recall practice used in the core subjects and some foundation subjects is implemented across the whole curriculum.  The curriculum does not fully support pupils to explore their learning in a wider context. This means pupils do not have the awareness of applying their skills and knowledge in the real world. The school should ensure that it develops this aspect of the curriculum to facilitate pupils to become global citizens.

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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 November 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. 18 and 19 October 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 ’ 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). 18 and 19 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Adam Breakwell (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been some staff changes including a new head of school, who took up post in September 2023.  The school works in partnership with Kimbolton St James CofE Primary School. The executive headteacher spends time at both schools.  The school is a voluntary-controlled Church of England school in the Diocese of Hereford. Its most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in December 2016. The next section 48 inspection will be before December 2024.  No pupils attend 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. 18 and 19 October 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, other leaders and the special needs co-ordinator. The inspector also met with groups of staff and pupils.  To evaluate the school’s curriculum, deep dives were conducted in early reading, mathematics and history. The inspector spoke to curriculum leaders, visited lessons and reviewed pupils’ work with them.  The inspector listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector spoke to leaders about pupils’ behaviour, attendance and policies and procedures. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. The inspector discussed the school’s analysis of attendance with leaders.

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 The inspector spoke with pupils, including pupils with SEND, to hear their views of their education as well as about behaviour and safety.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector spoke with parents and pupils. She scrutinised documents that the school keeps and spoke with leaders and staff.  The inspector reviewed information about other areas of learning and the wider curriculum.  The inspector met with the chair of governors and other governors.  The inspector spoke with the school improvement partner.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans and information on the school’s website.  Responses to Ofsted’s survey of parents, Ofsted Parent View, were considered alongside Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Lynda Townsend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 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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