Churchdown Village Junior School

Inspection of Churchdown Village Junior School Station Road, Churchdown, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL3 2JX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Churchdown Village Junior School is an inclusive school where positivity, acceptance and friendship shine through. Pupils enjoy all that the school offers and are keen to attend. They appreciate the care and nurture they receive. The school has high expectations of behaviour, and pupils behave well. They know what is expected of them and fully understand the ‘zones of regulation’. Pupils always strive to behave well in class and during social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are positive about their school work and are keen to learn and do well. Typically, pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need in order to achieve all they can. However, in some subjects, this is less secure. Also, pupils in the early stages of reading do not get sufficient time to develop reading accuracy and fluency.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Provision for pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils take pleasure in the numerous and varied opportunities on offer. They develop into confident young people with high self-esteem who can contribute positively to society.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are thrilled with the school. They recognise how the school is pivotal to the community. Parents appreciate the way in which staff support both pupils and families, which contributes to their children’s happiness.

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better?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to receive a high-quality education. It strives to ensure that pupils experience a rich and varied curriculum. This ambition instils in pupils a love of learning. The school has rightly focused on improving the curriculum further. For example, the mathematics curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced to ensure that pupils gain the knowledge they need. This helps them to solve complex calculations. In English, the school was quick to analyse why recent outcomes for pupils in their writing in Year 6 were not as strong as expected. As a result, prompt action is being taken, and there is evidence of pupils’ writing improving rapidly. However, in some subjects, the school is not sufficiently clear about the knowledge it wants pupils to remember. This means that pupils do not get the depth of knowledge they need across all subjects.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils at the early stages of reading have regular phonics teaching. School staff deliver the phonics programme with accuracy. They ensure that books precisely match the phonics knowledge of the pupils. However, pupils do not practise the sounds they are learning often enough. This limits their reading fluency.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive high-quality provision. The school identifies pupils’ needs swiftly. Staff make adaptations to support pupils to learn effectively. This enables pupils with SEND to learn 7 and 8 November 2023

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successfully and achieve well. The school works closely with other agencies, such as health and social care, to make sure that pupils receive the support they need.

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Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are polite and well mannered. Pupils understand the importance of equality and respect. They go out of their way to look after each other and are accepting of diversity and difference. This creates a warm and welcoming place to learn, which is reflected in pupils’ regular attendance.

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Pupils experience a wealth of enrichment activities through clubs, visits and trips. Forest school is a firm favourite with pupils. The school uses this space to complement the curriculum. For example, pupils make charcoal in the firepit to link to their history work. The beehive and the gardening club ignite pupils’ love of the environment and their understanding of the importance of looking after it. The school is proud of its engagement in the National Garden Scheme, where members of the community can visit the school grounds. In addition, pupils have the opportunity to develop their talents in other areas, such as music, sport and art.

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Pupils relish the additional responsibilities afforded to them. They are clear that the school listens to their views and will act, for example by making changes to playtimes and introducing play leaders. Play leaders take their roles seriously to ensure that playtimes are enjoyable and harmonious and pupils can socialise and play happily together.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school is not clear enough about the knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember. This means that pupils do not gain the depth of knowledge to help them make links with new learning. The school must ensure that all components needed to build and deepen pupils’ knowledge and skills over time are clearly identified.  Pupils at the early stages of reading do not get enough practice in reading books. This holds them back them from becoming fluent readers. The school must ensure that these pupils practise their reading often enough to enable them to develop their fluency and confidence.

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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. 7 and 8 November 2023

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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). 7 and 8 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any 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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other senior leaders, staff and members of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and art. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, 7 and 8 November 2023

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visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors sampled work in other subjects, including history and geography.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Year 3 reading to an adult. Inspectors listened to pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 reading during lessons.  The lead inspector spoke with an education adviser from Gloucestershire local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single 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 considered key documentation, including school improvement plans and minutes of governing body meetings.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. An

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inspector met with school leaders to discuss and scrutinise how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires and to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors spoke with parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sean McKeown Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 November 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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