Cold Harbour Church of England School

Inspection of Cold Harbour Church of England School Highland Close, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK3 7PD

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 13 and 14 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with the right encouragement to achieve its motto of ‘let your light shine’. The school’s key values include thankfulness, trust and honesty. Children in the Reception Year show these values in a calm, secure setting. As pupils go through the school, they become balanced and considerate pupils ready for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has developed its curriculum considerably since the last inspection. Pupils achieve well in early reading because the school has prioritised this. The school has considered what the curriculum should include carefully. It has supported teachers in how to deliver lessons effectively. As a result, pupils are learning more and remembering more across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is determined to give pupils all the opportunities that they can. Pupils appreciate what the school provides, with one pupil saying, ‘We are very lucky at our school.’ For example, the school thinks very carefully about what more vulnerable pupils need to overcome any difficulties. Pupils see differences in people as positive and that everyone should be respected. They welcome new pupils with open arms and get on very well with each other.

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better?

The school demonstrates a strong ambition to give all pupils the best education it can. The school has adopted a curriculum that ensures pupils learn key knowledge, skills and vocabulary in a well-sequenced order. This means pupils are now achieving well across the curriculum. Staff include pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities at every stage of learning.

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better?

Overall, pupils learn to read well because the school has prioritised phonics teaching. The school has a strong fidelity to its phonics scheme. This means pupils at the earliest stages of reading are getting the effective support that they need. Teachers check regularly how well pupils are learning phonics. The school provides any necessary additional support swiftly for younger pupils. Pupils enjoy the texts that they read, and pupils of all ages speak of the books their teachers read to them with positivity. However, a few older pupils are not always given the reading support they need. This means these pupils are not making the rapid progress that they could.

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better?

Overall, the school is embedding the rest of the curriculum effectively. Staff are implementing the new curriculum well. In mathematics, lessons are well structured and build on one another. Should teachers identify any gaps in pupils’ mathematical learning, they address them quickly. In all other subjects, the quality of teaching and learning is strong and expectations are high for what pupils can achieve. However, because the developments in the curriculum are embedding overall, pupils do not always have secure knowledge across the curriculum. The school is developing its 13 and 14 February 2024

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systems to check how well all pupils are learning the curriculum so gaps in knowledge in all subjects can be filled quickly.

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Pupils’ behaviour is friendly and calm. Pupils show a strong sense of right and wrong. This creates classroom environments where pupils can learn. Pupils work hard in lessons because they want to learn. Pupils’ learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of others. Pupils are confident that staff will sort any problems, whether in the classroom or on the playground. Outside, pupils play well with one another. The school has a very calm and reassuring approach to pupils who sometimes find it hard to behave in the way the school would like.

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The school provides some excellent wider opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Recently the school has provided dance, music therapy and cycling experiences for specific pupils. This has improved these pupils’ self- confidence and attendance markedly. All pupils have full access to clubs and trips. Pupils show significant maturity and understanding of age-appropriate relationship education. For example, Year 6 pupils have a strong sense of the importance of consent and that everyone’s body is their own.

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Governors have ensured that the school’s provision has developed significantly in recent years. They make key decisions with a clear vision of what they want to achieve. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities with diligence. Staff are proud to work at the school and want to make the difference to every pupil. Parents acknowledge the school’s qualities too, with one parent saying: ‘Cold Harbour has always supported both of my children from Reception and through to key stage 2. The leadership team are very approachable and keen to assist in any way they can. We cannot recommend this school highly enough.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The reading support given to some key stage 2 pupils is not always precise enough. This limits these pupils’ ability to decode texts accurately and fluently. The school should ensure that support for pupils who are at the early stages of reading in key stage 2 enables them to secure and apply their phonics knowledge so that they quickly become confident and fluent readers.  The implementation of the curriculum in some foundation subjects is embedding. In these subjects, pupils have not always studied a curriculum that clearly identified the important knowledge they need to learn. Consequently, pupils are not secure in what they can remember in these subjects. The school should ensure that its new curriculum plans are implemented and monitored effectively to help pupils remember and use important subject knowledge. 13 and 14 February 2024

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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). 13 and 14 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 October 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school runs its own wraparound childcare both before and after school.  As a Church of England school, Cold Harbour is part of the Diocese of Oxford. The most recent section 48 inspection was in June 2019.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued 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, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, 13 and 14 February 2024

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spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders in the school. The lead inspector also met with members of the governing board, including the chair, and an educational representative from both the local authority and the diocese.  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 inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self- evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View and inspectors also spoke with parents.  The views of staff were gathered through interviews and discussions conducted

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throughout the inspection, as well as the staff survey.  Inspectors gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including through classroom visits and group discussions, as well as at playtimes and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Chris Parker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Pilsworth His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 February 2024

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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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