Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School Hinwick Road, Podington, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN29 7HU

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Outcome

Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that this school is a good place to make new friends. Pupils appreciate the way that adults always listen to and help them. The school has a ‘family feel’ because everyone, including pupils, looks out for each other. Lessons are calm and pupils generally behave well. Pupils work hard so that their efforts can be recorded in the headteacher’s ‘Golden Book’. This is then shared proudly in the weekly celebration assemblies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their lessons. They like the way that teachers choose interesting activities in subjects, such as science. Teachers focus on the most important knowledge and help pupils to practise key skills, such as reading and calculation. Pupils feel and are successful. They tend to do well in their end of key stage tests. As a result, pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the school’s musical and sporting offer. For example, taking part in a multi-school singing event or attending the guitar club. Pupils learn about and appreciate nature in the school’s forest school and on educational trips. Pupils of all ages happily take on responsibilities. For example, being a play leader or an assembly monitor.

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

The science of learning has rightly influenced leaders’ curriculum thinking. The school’s curriculum sets out key knowledge and vocabulary in a logical order. Leaders know that pupils need to repeatedly encounter new concepts to have the best chance of remembering them. For example, every mathematics lesson starts with opportunities to recall facts and methods learned in previous lessons. Pupils typically learn well in all subjects. For example, in music, pupils become confident in using tuned instruments, learn how to read music and about a range of musical styles and composers. 11 June 2024

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Teachers use questioning well to gauge pupil’s understanding. Teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. In some subjects, staff are still getting to grips with new approaches to teaching. For example, using physical resources to explain concepts in mathematics lessons. As a result, pupils occasionally do not understand concepts when they are first taught. Leaders’ plans include providing training for staff in these new teaching approaches.

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Reading lessons start as soon as children join the Reception Year. Leaders ensure that reading effective instruction happens in small groups in the most calm and quiet places of the school. Staff are experts in teaching reading. Reading lessons include familiar practice routines, such as paired reading. This ensures that every pupil learns and remembers the sounds that letters make. Pupils quickly become confident readers. They enjoy reading and being read to.

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The school provides bespoke support and additional, small-group instruction for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This includes help with understanding emotions and social situations. Staff adapt lessons so that pupils with SEND can access all subjects. This support helps pupils with SEND to become more independent and progress well over time.

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Staff in the early years ensure that children have plenty of opportunities to talk, listen to stories and sing songs. This helps children to develop their language and communication skills. Children enjoy joining in with songs and stories. Staff teach children important routines. This helps children in the early years to respect the school environment.

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The school rewards and celebrates pupils’ successes. This includes when pupils demonstrate the school’s values, such as ‘trust’ and ‘courage’. Lessons are calm and pupils want to do well. However, staff are sometimes inconsistent in their expectations of pupils’ behaviour. As a result, pupils sometimes do not focus and concentrate on what the teacher is saying or the work they are doing. Leaders regularly monitor pupils’ attendance. They work effectively with families to improve pupils’ attendance and punctuality.

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The school’s personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is well sequenced. Pupils learn how to stay safe online, look after their health and have healthy relationships. Teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to learn about different cultures, beliefs and faiths. Pupils recognise that families are made up in different ways and they respect and value difference.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel supported by leaders, including governors. Leaders take staff workload into account when making decisions. Leaders also provide plenty of training opportunities for staff. These are well received.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers are still getting to grips with new, school-wide approaches to teaching. This means that occasionally, pupils do not fully understand new concepts when they are initially taught. Leaders should continue with their plans to ensure that staff use these school-wide approaches effectively, teach subjects well and raise standards higher.  Staff are not always consistent with their expectations of pupils’ behaviour. As a result, pupils do not always follow instructions or focus when expected to do so. Leaders should ensure that staff enact consistent expectations and routines, so that pupils are more likely to focus and concentrate when expected to do so.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2014.

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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 11 June 2024

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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). 11 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Sarah Bush (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Website www.christopher-reeves-school.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is federated with St Lawrence CofE VA Primary School in Wymington.  The school is part of the Diocese of St Albans. Its last inspection of its denominational education, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, took place in December 2019. The next section 48 inspection should occur within five years of this date.

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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. 11 June 2024

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 The lead inspector met with the headteacher and with members of the governing body. The lead inspector also spoke, via telephone, with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector: 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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes.

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 The lead inspector considered 22 responses to Ofsted Parent View, of which 18 responses included free-text comments. The lead inspector also considered 9 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 13 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. Inspectors gathered the views of parents, pupils and staff through various discussions during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Hannah Stoten, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lucy Roberts Ofsted Inspector 11 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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