Gotherington Primary School

Inspection of Gotherington Primary School The Lawns, Gotherington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 9QT

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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

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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 headteacher of this school is Katie Langley. This school is a single-academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Michael Mintram.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Gotherington Primary School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 6 and 7 December 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The Gotherington GOALS are woven into daily life for pupils. The GOALS help pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning. For example, pupils of all ages are proud of how they strive to give their best and love learning. Consequently, pupils have a good understanding of what it means to be a successful learner.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibility through roles such as house captains and school councillors. They are proud of the contribution they make to school life, such as the design of the new buildings and play resources. Pupils feel part of their community. They participate in charitable work, such as the food bank, to help those in need. They mark important national occasions by representing the school at the annual Remembrance service and join the village in celebrations such as the living Advent calendar.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils are attentive and work hard. They learn that people are different and have different opinions and backgrounds. They know that it is important to treat everyone fairly. However, this does not always show in their behaviour towards one another. Some pupils experience friendship issues and name calling. The school’s new restorative approach to managing behaviour is not yet embedded. This means that some pupils still struggle to interact kindly and take personal responsibility for their actions.

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better?

Reading is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. The ‘Reading River’ for each year group identifies books that pupils will study or listen to during the year. This means that pupils leave the school having read a broad range of fiction and non-fiction. The curriculum for Reception children uses rich stories that spark their interest and enjoyment in reading. Author visits, local competitions and initiatives such as the ‘Birthday Book’ all contribute to pupils’ love of reading.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils learn to read well. The sequenced phonics programme builds pupils’ knowledge and fluency as readers. Any pupils who need help receive support promptly. Older pupils develop key reading skills. They gradually apply these to more and more complex texts. At times, these texts are too difficult for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to read independently.

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better?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. It has chosen content that develops pupils’ cultural capital and equips them with the knowledge and skills they need for the future. This knowledge is carefully sequenced so that pupils build on what they already know. The school has also ensured that pupils can build links between subjects.

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better?

The school has identified the key concepts pupils need to understand. While these are not yet fully embedded, they are already having an impact on pupils’ learning. 6 and 7 December 2023

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For example, pupils can make links across different historical periods, such as inventions in the Victorian age and tools in the Iron Age.

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Teaching accurately checks pupils’ understanding. Any misconceptions are addressed quickly. This helps pupils to secure their understanding. For example, in phonics, pupils quickly learn the accurate pronunciation of sounds. This is because teaching picks up any incorrect articulation. In some subjects, the school is refining assessments to link more closely to the knowledge pupils need to learn.

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Pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers. Adult support helps pupils to read and participate in learning. However, teaching sometimes relies too heavily on this one type of support. It does not use a wide range of adaptation to enable pupils to learn independently.

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The school has developed a range of provision to support pupils’ mental health and well-being. The school dog, Hero, is successfully used to encourage pupils to come to school, to regulate their behaviour and to comfort them. They are proud of the mental health award they have.

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Governors play an important role in shaping the vision for the school. They have a good understanding of the community it serves and how this has changed over recent years. They know precisely the strengths and areas for development within the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teaching does not use a wide range of adaptation to help pupils with SEND to learn well. Consequently, pupils are over-reliant on adult support and struggle to learn independently. The school must develop teachers’ skills to scaffold learning for pupils with SEND so that they develop independence in their learning.  Some pupils do not always behave well towards one another. The school does not use the information from incidents to adapt what pupils learn in the wider, non- academic curriculum so that there is demonstrable improvement to their interactions. The school must make better use of analysis to shape the provision for personal development and behaviour management. This is to enable pupils to apply what they learn to their relationships and interactions with one another. 6 and 7 December 2023

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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). 6 and 7 December 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Gotherington Primary School converted to become an academy in August 2011. When its predecessor school, Gotherington Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  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 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject 6 and 7 December 2023

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteachers, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, teaching and support staff, the chair of the trust board and members of the local governing board.  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.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. In addition, they met with pupils, formally and informally, to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent

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View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation form.

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Inspection team

Angela Folland, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sean Millar Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 December 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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