The Batt Church of England Primary School

Inspection of The Batt Church of England Primary School Marlborough Lane, Corn Street, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 6DY

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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

Ofsted has not previously inspected The Batt Church of England 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. The school did receive an ungraded subject inspection in December 2019. 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.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The executive headteacher of this school is Deborah Seccull. This school is part of the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Anne Dellar, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kathy Winrow. 5 and 6 December 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel nurtured and listened to by adults. The spirit of kindness is evident in how pupils and staff treat each other. The school uses the parable of the Good Samaritan to teach pupils how to behave towards others. This means that pupils are accepting of differences and motivated to be active and positive citizens in their local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is determined for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to succeed. Pupils enjoy the school’s ambitious curriculum and learn a wide range of knowledge and skills. They work hard and usually achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well behaved. The school expects good behaviour and for pupils to be ‘ready, respectful and safe’. Pupils recognise these expectations and are eager to meet them. Playtimes are organised carefully, and pupil play leaders and adults are energetic in leading a wide range of games and activities for pupils. Games of cricket and basketball, and various music groups, are well supervised and enjoyed by all. Some pupils do feel that there have previously been some worries about bullying. They told inspectors that they know how to raise concerns and are confident that an adult is always available to listen.

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better?

The school has identified what pupils will learn and in what order. All pupils learn an interesting and broad curriculum, including pupils with SEND. The building of learning over time is usually carefully organised from Reception onwards. This helps pupils to build their learning gradually and connect new knowledge to what they have learned before. In a few subjects, the curriculum is less well developed and does not build securely on what children learn in Reception. The Reception curriculum is mostly well developed but is less sufficiently established in a small number of areas.

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better?

Staff receive high-quality training. Consequently, most teachers support pupils well to learn the intended curriculum. Staff check pupils’ understanding carefully. They use this to inform future teaching. Teachers revisit important content to help pupils to recall what they have learned over time. For example, in Reception, children are supported to revisit what they have learned about number to help them to build fluency. This helps most pupils to achieve well. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND quickly. However, the support for these pupils is inconsistent, so they do not achieve as well as they could across every subject.

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better?

Class libraries are a source of pride and joy for pupils. Their love of reading is evident. Pupils speak with confidence and knowledge about different books. They make mature and complex links and comparisons between the works of different authors. Pupils develop into fluent and accurate readers. Starting from Reception, children are taught a consistent and sequential phonics programme. They read 5 and 6 December 2023

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books that match the sounds that they have learned. This helps them to develop fluency and confidence. Support for pupils struggling with reading is swift and carefully reviewed so that effective support is provided.

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The school is a positive and safe environment. Pupils understand the expected behaviour and develop excellent manners. They interact respectfully from Reception onwards, using high-quality communication and language skills to articulate emotions appropriately. Staff consistently follow the agreed procedures. The school makes careful records of any behaviour concerns and takes effective action to support pupils to meet its high expectations.

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The school supports pupils to develop into confident and positive citizens. Staff use a cohesive and well-structured approach to teaching pupils about themselves, relationships and wider society. This begins from Reception, where children are taught effectively about understanding the world and how to interact with each other kindly. Pupils are being supported to develop an understanding of differing faiths, cultures and equalities. Pupils benefit from access to a broad range of clubs and curriculum experiences. This enhances their curriculum learning and exposes pupils to opportunities they might not otherwise enjoy. The school ensures that pupils who are disadvantaged have carefully prioritised access to these opportunities.

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The school has come through a turbulent period in its leadership. Local governance and trust leaders have actively supported and challenged the school to meet statutory duties and to work positively with the community. New leaders have worked to evaluate provision carefully, raise expectations and support staff. For example, appropriate training and guidance are provided for all staff, including early career teachers, who feel appropriately supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 From Reception onwards, the planning for a few subjects is underdeveloped. Consequently, pupils’ learning is variable. The school should refine the curriculum thinking and support staff to emphasise the most important content to help pupils, including pupils with SEND, learn consistently well across the 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. 5 and 6 December 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). 5 and 6 December 2023

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School details

Headteacher Deborah Seccull (Executive headteacher) Katy Harding-Jones (Head of school) Website www.thebattschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust in October 2015.  The school is one-form entry in Reception and up to Year 2. Pupils join the school in Year 3 from St Mary’s CE Infant School, so there are two classes in each year group in key stage 2. An executive headteacher and a local governing body work across both schools.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.  The academy received a subject inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 on 3 December 2019.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 5 and 6 December 2023

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 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, science, geography and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, who is also the executive headteacher, the head of school, senior leaders, teachers and pupils. The lead inspector met with the members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and

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also with members of the trust 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.  Inspectors gathered evidence to observe pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at playtimes.  The inspectors talked to pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views about the school. Inspectors considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View. The views of staff and pupils were also considered through Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Toby Martlew, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Shazia Akram His Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 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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