Feckenham CofE Primary School

Inspection of Feckenham C of E Primary School School Lane, Feckenham, Redditch, Worcestershire B96 6QD

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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 Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Jeannette Little. This school is part of Shires Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Lee Gray, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mike Thake. 8 and 9 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Feckenham C of E Primary School lives by its values – everyone is welcome. The school is very much part of the community. The staff know pupils as individuals and take good care of their well-being. Pupils know that adults will listen to them if they have a concern. This means that they feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for the standard of pupils’ work and behaviour, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff quickly forge strong relationships with pupils. Pupils behave well and get on with their learning. They play happily at social times. Pupils enjoy school and attend regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils settle into calm and orderly classroom routines from the early years. They quickly come to respect each other and cooperate. Their work is varied and interesting, and this helps them to concentrate in lessons and learn well. Trips and visitors to the school add further to their knowledge. For example, a visitor in a Viking costume taught pupils about runes and showed them Viking artefacts.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils are part of the school council, and they know that their voice is heard. Some pupils take part in after-school clubs, mostly related to sport.

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better?

Pupils study a broad range of subjects. In each subject, the school has planned the curriculum carefully. The school has tackled the issues raised at the last inspection. It has identified what knowledge pupils should learn in each unit of work. The school has considered the needs of mixed-aged classes. The curriculum helps pupils to build new knowledge on what they already know.

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better?

Children in the Reception class gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in subsequent years. Well-designed activities develop children’s vocabulary and communication. Learning in the early years moves smoothly into learning in key stage 1.

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better?

Teachers know their subjects well and present the intended curriculum clearly. Pupils learn vocabulary associated with each topic. This helps them to gain knowledge and remember it in depth. Teachers make good use of pupils’ immediate surroundings as a resource for learning. In both art and history, the school’s Victorian building is a focus for study. In mathematics, teachers have adopted effective strategies to improve pupils’ knowledge of multiplication tables. Visual representation and practical equipment help pupils to understand new ideas. However, the effectiveness with which staff implement the curriculum varies a little, and the planned activities sometimes do not help pupils learn key knowledge as quickly as they should.

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better?

In the classroom, teachers generally use assessment well to check on what pupils have learned, for example by reviewing their work and asking questions of individual 8 and 9 May 2024

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pupils. However, the school’s arrangements for gaining a clear picture of pupils’ learning over time are less well developed.

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The school has made reading a high priority. From early years onwards, pupils follow a structured phonics programme. This programme ensures that pupils learn about letters and the sounds that they make in a logical order. Staff regularly check on how well individual pupils are learning. The school provides effective support for any pupils at risk of falling behind. Staff work closely with parents and carers, and pupils read frequently to adults. Books are well matched to pupils’ knowledge of phonics. As a result, pupils quickly become fluent and willing readers.

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The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND effectively. Staff draw on guidance to ensure that pupils’ needs are well met. As a result, pupils with SEND make strong progress through the full curriculum.

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The school’s approach to managing behaviour is rooted in its values. Staff apply it fairly, recognising positive behaviours such as helping other pupils. They provide effective support to pupils who find managing their behaviour a little more challenging. The patterns in pupils’ behaviour and attendance are carefully analysed, and the school takes effective action as a result.

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Pupils benefit from a planned programme of personal and social education which teaches them how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They learn about different cultures and traditions, for example through the school’s choice of reading texts.

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The multi-academy trust supports the school well, for instance, in aiding pupils’ transition to the next stage of their education and in safeguarding. There is a shared understanding of the school’s values, and everyone works together as a team. Staff believe that leaders are always willing to listen to their views, and are considerate of their welfare.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is implemented. Some learning activities do not support pupils to reach the intended learning outcome as well as they should. In addition, the new longer-term assessment arrangements are not yet embedded to provide teachers with a clear understanding of which concepts pupils find more difficult, and therefore need greater focus. As a result, some pupils’ learning is not as effective as it could be. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well, and that assessment procedures are fully embedded in order that pupils achieve the highest possible outcomes. 8 and 9 May 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 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). 8 and 9 May 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 February 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Feckenham C of E Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Some pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.  The school received its last section 48 inspection of church schools in March 2024. Section 48 inspections were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They restarted in September 2021.  The school’s breakfast and after-school clubs are provided by an external company.  The school does not currently make use of 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. 8 and 9 May 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, with the special educational needs coordinator and with curriculum leaders. They also spoke with staff about their experience of the school.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the trust, the chief executive officer, and the chair and one other member of the local governing board. He spoke by telephone with a representative of the diocese.  The inspectors spoke with pupils at social times and with groups of pupils more formally.  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.

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 The inspectors reviewed a range of documents. These included the school’s self- evaluation, information about pupils’ behaviour and attendance, and the school’s curriculum.  The inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free-text comments. The lead inspector met with parents at the start of the second day of the inspection.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. Inspectors also spoke to pupils and scrutinised their work in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to a number of pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 reading to a familiar adult.

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Inspection team

Martin Spoor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Diana Pearce Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 May 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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