Miserden Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Miserden Church of England Primary School Miserden, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7JA

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is determined that pupils thrive together, and they do. Parents speak positively about the care that pupils receive, including the youngest children in the pre-school. Pupils enjoy the different subjects they study. For example, they speak enthusiastically about what they have learned about the Great Barrier Reef in geography.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations of their behaviour. They follow routines willingly, such as lining up before they go to play outside at lunchtime. Pupils get on well and rarely disrupt each other’s learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to uphold the school’s values, such as perseverance and respect. They are determined in their learning and look after each other around the school. Pupils relish the challenge of earning points for their houses, each named after a local farm. They enjoy voting for rewards. These experiences build their understanding of teamwork and democracy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the range of extra-curricular experiences on offer. They take part in outdoor activities on a residential trip, for instance. Opportunities, such as these, develop pupils’ confidence. Pupils learn about their local environment by participating in forest school. They develop their cultural understanding from artists and singers who visit the school.

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

Pupils follow a broad and ambitious curriculum. The school has identified the most important knowledge and skills that pupils need and the order in which it is learned. A strong focus on vocabulary helps to develop children’s language and communication skills, starting from the early years and continuing to Year 6.

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

In most subjects, pupils build their knowledge cumulatively and deepen their understanding. For instance, in mathematics, pupils develop their problem-solving skills well and learn how to use mathematical language with confidence. In other subjects, 11 July 2024

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however, the curriculum is relatively new. Therefore, pupils have not developed detailed subject knowledge and skills over time.

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Where teachers’ subject knowledge is strong, they teach the curriculum effectively. For example, they present new information clearly and provide pupils with suitable opportunities to apply their knowledge. However, teachers sometimes do not have the expertise to best support pupils to deepen their understanding or help them remember information over the long-term.

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Teachers use assessment well in some subjects. Where this is the case, it picks up on pupils’ misconceptions, which subsequent teaching then corrects. In other subjects, the school is still developing its use of assessment. This means that teachers do not typically identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge or understanding. Therefore, pupils do not secure the building blocks they need for future learning.

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The school has developed an effective early reading programme. Children start learning to read as soon as they join the Reception Year. They read books which are closely matched to the sounds they are learning. The school tracks precisely how well pupils develop their reading accuracy and fluency. It provides extra support to those who need it. Consequently, pupils become confident and highly motivated readers.

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The school has recently strengthened its provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff identify and assess pupils’ needs accurately, which means that they are increasingly well supported.

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Most pupils attend school regularly. The school monitors pupils’ absence closely and provides suitable support when it is needed.

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Pupils collaborate well. They take it in turns to do jobs, such us a setting up the hall for collective worship or helping with the ‘puppets’ for younger children. The school encourages pupils to share ‘acts of kindness’. Pupils recognise the difference they can make by paying someone a compliment, for instance. This helps them learn how their good choices can have a positive impact on others.

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The school has designed and implemented a suitable personal, social and health education curriculum. Older pupils learn about changes to their bodies, for example. Younger children know how to talk about their emotions. The school plans thoughtfully the books that teachers read to pupils to support their personal development. It encourages pupils to reflect on their achievements and on what they are finding hard. This builds their self-confidence and resilience.

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The governing body has been strengthened recently. Governors fully understand their role to support and challenge leaders and do this effectively. As a result, leaders are held to account for improvements, including for the quality of professional development for teachers and support for staff well-being. This enhances the effectiveness of the school. 11 July 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers sometimes lack subject knowledge and expertise. As a result, teaching does not consistently deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding or help them recall their learning over time. The school needs to ensure that teachers have sufficient subject expertise to teach the curriculum effectively.  At times, teachers do not use assessment well enough. Where this is the case, teaching does not identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge in some subjects. The school should ensure that it checks pupils’ learning carefully in all subjects so that teaching is adapted accordingly.

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Background

When we have judged 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 February 2020.

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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 11 July 2024

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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). 11 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Co-Chairs of governing body Elisabeth Skinner and Philippa Rodie

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England School in the Diocese of Gloucester. It received its last section 48 inspection in April 2019.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ written work. 11 July 2024

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 Inspectors met with a range of leaders, and with members of the school’s governing body.  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 the responses to the questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to the online surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paula Marsh Ofsted Inspector 11 July 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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