Packington Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Packington Church of England Primary School Mill Street, Packington, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 1WL

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Outcome

Packington Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Packington Church of England Primary School has high expectations for every pupil. Pupils are happy, enjoy attending and feel safe. They are ready to learn and enjoy their lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. The school is calm and pupils concentrate on their learning. They play well together at playtimes. They show respect for each other and for staff. One pupil explained, ‘Our golden rule is to be kind and to treat someone as we would like to be treated.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop their leadership skills, for example, as school councillors and sports leaders. Many pupils attend clubs and enjoy activities that develop their sporting and musical interests. Pupils benefit from an extensive programme of visits, including to the Houses of Parliament and a coastal residential visit.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers value the school. A parent of an older pupil, echoing the views of many, commented, ‘We will be sad for our primary journey to come to an end but couldn’t have asked for a better school for our child to attend.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Ensuring that pupils learn to read is a priority at Packington. Children start learning letter sounds as soon as they begin school in the early years. Daily phonics lessons get children off to a good start with learning to read. All staff receive training to deliver the school’s phonics programme. The daily phonics sessions are delivered consistently well. Books are matched to the letters and sounds that pupils are learning. Pupils who may be falling behind are identified quickly. These pupils receive extra support to catch up. Pupils practise reading regularly. They become fluent readers. They enjoy reading and also being read to by adults. The reading curriculum develops older pupils’ skills to critique to what they read. Pupils develop confidence in reading with expression and understanding. 4 June 2024

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The school ensures that the subject curriculums are thought out and ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This begins in the early years with a curriculum and range of opportunities provided to lay the foundations children need for later learning. These subject curriculums identify the key knowledge that pupils need to learn, and the order in which they need to learn it. Pupils learn well. However, in some subjects, pupils do not deepen their understanding or develop skills as well as they could. The work they are given to complete is not sufficiently challenging in some subjects.

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Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum. The school identifies, and works with, external agencies to ensure that pupils with SEND get the support that they need. Teaching is adapted to enable these pupils to access the same learning as their peers. Most pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The school checks pupils’ learning effectively in mathematics, reading and writing. This identifies gaps in pupils’ knowledge with precision and, in turn, informs the next steps in learning. For example, pupils undertake regular tasks to revisit what they have learned previously. However, in other subjects, assessment is not used as effectively.

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The school sets out high expectations of behaviour. These expectations are met. Pupils appreciate and understand the school rules, which they believe are fair. Pupils understand the importance of the school’s values of ‘perseverance, courage, honesty, hope, kindness and forgiveness’. These values are lived out daily.

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There are many opportunities to widen pupils’ experiences beyond the curriculum. Pupils learn about healthy relationships. They learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe, including when online. Pupils raise money for charity. The school provides opportunities, such as a science fair, for pupils to explore their future ambitions. Pupils learn about fundamental British values, diversity and equality.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They know that leaders consider their well-being and workload. They appreciate training opportunities, for example, to develop expertise in curriculum development. Governors are fully informed about the school. They hold leaders to account and support them to bring about improvements. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In core subjects, teachers use formative and summative assessment well, to identify what pupils learn, and to identify gaps in their knowledge. Assessment is not as sharp in foundation subjects. As a result, the school does not always identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge precisely enough. The school needs to ensure that formative and 4 June 2024

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summative assessment is used effectively in all subjects, thus enabling pupils to know, understand and do more.  In some foundation subjects, the work given to pupils is not challenging enough. As a result, pupils do not develop their knowledge, understanding and skills as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that pupils are appropriately challenged to build their learning over time in all subjects.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in 5 and 6 February 2019.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 4 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  Packington Church of England Primary School is a is a Church of England voluntary controlled school. It received its Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools in December 2019.

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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 held meetings with senior leaders, curriculum leaders and the leader with responsibility for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 4 June 2024

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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.  The lead inspector also considered pupils’ learning in a range of other subjects, including science, history and art.  The lead inspector listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 pupils’ behaviour at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime.  The lead inspector took account of the parental responses to Ofsted Parent View. They reviewed Ofsted’s survey for school staff.  The lead inspector met with governors, including the co-chairs.

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 The lead inspector spoke with the school’s local authority school improvement adviser.

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Inspection team

Stephen Long, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ben O’Connell Ofsted Inspector 4 June 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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