Allington with Sedgebrook Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Allington with Sedgebrook Church of England Primary School Marston Lane, Allington, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 2DY

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Outcome

Allington with Sedgebrook Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Allington with Sedgebrook is a happy school. Pupils enjoy coming to this school and attend regularly. It is a place where they feel safe. Relationships throughout the school are caring and professional. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and what they can achieve. Pupils play harmoniously together outside in mixed-age, and gender groups. Pupils build strong friendships. They are proud to attend this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk positively about the school values of hope, respect, ambition, forgiveness, truth and generosity. One typically stated: ‘People are kind and friendly because of our values.’ Pupils understand the importance of being responsible citizens. They have an age- appropriate understanding of fundamental British values. They show tolerance and respect for others. One pupil said: ‘Being different makes you special and we are all different, so we are all special. Being different is good.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are opportunities for pupils to change the school for the better. Members of the school council and sports ambassadors talk proudly of the work they do. For example, they organised a ‘spot the ball’ and penalty shoot-out during a recent football tournament. This raised money for play equipment and local charities. As one pupil said: ‘I feel like I am making a difference at this school.’

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

The school is united in its ambition to do the best for every pupil. This ambition starts with reading. Staff expertly deliver the phonics programme. They identify pupils if they start to fall behind and provide appropriate support to help them to catch up. Teachers carefully select reading books that match pupils’ stage of development and needs. Pupils read fluently. They develop into confident readers. Pupils talk enthusiastically about reading, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). 17 July 2024

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Pupils have access to a wide range of books. Pupils read extensively. Teachers make daily class reading sessions fun. Well-designed learning tasks help pupils to develop a deeper understanding of books. For example, pupils create their own films and show them, creating a cinema style event, including serving popcorn. This allows them to showcase the books that they have read. Pupils recommend new books for teachers to read to the class. The school has successfully helped pupils to love reading.

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The school has established an ambitious curriculum. It has a clear vision for what the impact should be of the curriculum that staff deliver. It has identified the key knowledge pupils should learn and know. In mathematics, teachers present information clearly. All staff model learning and vocabulary effectively. Teachers adapt learning to ensure that all pupils achieve well, including those pupils with SEND. However, there are some inconsistencies in the way a few subjects are implemented. This means that learning is not always linked to previous learning or other subjects, and pupils do not recall prior knowledge. The curriculum helps pupils to explore learning beyond their own experiences. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils explore sports, such as boccia and wheelchair rugby.

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Children in the early years settle well into the routines of the school. There is a happy and vibrant atmosphere. Staff model learning and vocabulary effectively. Well-selected resources support children’s learning. For example, the use of pictograms helps children to understand the concept of zero. The school has identified that the learning environment in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) is not always supporting children to work collaboratively, independently and for sustained periods.

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The school has high expectations of pupils to behave well. Pupils live up to these expectations. They work well together in class. Classrooms are typically calm and productive places. Pupils’ attitudes to their learning are positive. They are attentive and eager to share their thoughts about their learning. Pupils move calmly around the school. During breaktimes, pupils sit, talk, read and work quietly at tables.

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The school provides a range of opportunities for pupils to explore their own talents and interests. Trips and visits help pupils understand different jobs and careers. Visits to farms help pupils to learn about agriculture and the work farmers do. In the early years, children visit centres where they role play a range of jobs. Countryside days build an understanding of the characteristics of the local community. This helps pupils learn about sustainability and environmentalism.Pupils participate regularly in the life of the local churches, both writing and leading services. The wide range of clubs provides pupils with broad experiences, such as playing in bands and taking part in various sporting activities.

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The school cares for all in it, including its staff. Recent changes to some of the systems the school uses have helped with staff workload and well-being. Staff feel well supported.

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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 the way a few subjects are implemented. This means that learning is not always linked, and pupils do not recall some knowledge that they have been taught. The school should make sure that leaders have a greater oversight of the implementation, and impact, of curriculum and that they have the mechanisms to check that pupils remember what they have been taught.  The environment in the EYFSdoes not always enable children to work collaboratively with their peers and to focus on projects for sustained periods. This means that children do not explore their learning as fully as they could. The school should continue to develop further the learning environment to create more opportunities for children to explore, and consolidate, their own learning.

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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 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 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, 17 July 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 17 July 2024

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School details

Website www.allingtonsedgebrook.lincs.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher started at this school in September 2023  The school was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in October 2017.  There is a before- and after-school club managed by the school.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and PE. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ 17 July 2024

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work, listened to pupils read and met with teachers and pupils. They also looked at curriculum documentation for reading, history, computing and personal, social, health and economic education.  The lead inspector met with two members of the governing body, including the chair.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Parent View, including free-text responses. An inspector spoke informally to parents at the beginning of the school day. They considered an email from a parent. Inspectors spoke with pupils and staff throughout the day.  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,

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around the school site and at lunchtime. They scrutinised the school’s records for attendance and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Mark Anderson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Anne Maingay His Majesty’s Inspector 17 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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