Crowmarsh Gifford Church of England School

Inspection of Crowmarsh Gifford Church of England School Old Reading Road, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8EN

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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 18 and 19 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning and playing together in this school. They take an active role in all aspects of school life and are happy in lessons and at play and lunchtimes. The school has developed outside spaces so that pupils benefit from a variety of physical activities using resources, such as sports areas and climbing apparatus. Pupils make full use of these spaces during play and lunchtimes, as well as enjoying imaginative play together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations of pupils’ achievement, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and other disadvantaged pupils. Staff skilfully teach and support pupils so that these high expectations are realised. Pupils make secure progress through the curriculum and achieve very well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in this school. They trust adults to deal with any concerns they may have. Relationships between staff and pupils are highly respectful. Pupils are polite and courteous. The school sets clear and high expectations of pupil conduct. Pupils understand how staff expect them to behave because the school explains this carefully to pupils in assemblies and in lessons. As a result of this, pupils’ behaviour is positive in lessons and around the school.

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better?

The school has made significant improvements to the curriculum. It is now well planned and sequenced in all subjects. Staff are supported by leaders so that they have strong subject knowledge. The school uses a clear process for identifying pupils who may need additional support with their learning. Staff are supported by leaders to adapt their teaching so that all pupils, including those with SEND, access the full curriculum.

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better?

Staff routinely check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. They use this information to inform their teaching, which has an immediate impact on pupils’ learning. In some subjects such as reading, mathematics and physical education, the curriculum is well designed and taught effectively using appropriate activity choices. This helps pupils to generally achieve well. In a few subjects, such as science, the curriculum is relatively new, and it is not yet having the full impact on pupils’ learning that leaders intend.

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better?

The teaching of early reading is a key priority. The school has high aspirations for pupils to learn to read well and enjoy reading as soon as they join the school in early years. Leaders check carefully that pupils at the early stages of reading swiftly build fluency and confidence. They persevere when they struggle with words and routinely correct themselves when they misread words.

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better?

The school is a calm and orderly environment for pupils to learn and play in. Pupils respond quickly to instructions and show good attitudes to their learning in lessons. In early years, clear routines are established from when children start school. The 18 and 19 June 2024

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school has high expectations of regular attendance and pupils attend school well. Overall, most pupils’ attendance is high. If a pupil’s attendance falls below the school’s high expectations, leaders work effectively with families. As a result, for the few pupils with lower attendance, this is improving.

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The school promotes personal development well. Pupils benefit from an extensive range of opportunities that inspires pupils’ talents and interests. This includes a growing range of sports clubs, a pupil council, fundraising events, writing for the local newspaper, promoting environmental issues, and a visiting rock band who work with pupils. In early years, staff skilfully adapt learning and play activities to develop children’s interests when something new captures their imagination. The school ensures that the low numbers of disadvantaged pupils benefit from these experiences. Assemblies enhance the inclusive ethos of the school. The school uses them to promote equality issues as well as celebrating key world events. In lessons, pupils learn about values and cultures and how they have changed through time periods. Staff use debates to encourage pupils to explore important concepts to develop their understanding.

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Leaders at all levels have an accurate view of the school. They have a clear vision to provide the very best education possible for its pupils and accurately identify actions to improve the school further. For example, recently, there has been substantial improvement in curriculum development. Staff are positive about the support that leaders show for their well-being and workload and the high-quality training they provide.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the implementation of the curriculum is currently still being refined. This means that pupils do not yet develop detailed knowledge and skills across some subjects as well as they could. The school should ensure that teaching consistently supports pupils to learn the key knowledge and skills 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. 18 and 19 June 2024

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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). 18 and 19 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 April 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Crowmarsh Gifford Church of England School is a single-form entry voluntary- controlled primary school with on-site nursery provision.  The school is part of the Diocese of Oxford. The school’s most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools was on 22 May 2019.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school runs the on-site breakfast and after-school clubs.  There have been changes in governors since the previous inspection, including the appointment of a new chair of governors.

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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

Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 18 and 19 June 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, governors and representatives from the local authority and the diocese. Inspectors also met with a range of teaching and support staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and physical education. 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 looked at a sample of pupils’ work in English, history and geography and visited a sample of lessons in history and geography.

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 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.

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 Pupils were talked to throughout the inspection to gain their views about the school. Inspectors considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View. The views of staff were also considered through Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Paul Hemmings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Vallence Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 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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