Shurdington Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Shurdington Church of England Primary School Shurdington Primary School, Badgeworth Lane, Shurdington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 4UQ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where everyone is keen to be the ‘B.E.S.T’ they can be. These school values underpin daily life. Pupils know how to believe, enjoy and succeed together. Everyone is welcome and included. Pupils who have joined the school after Reception, and many with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), say they settled well and feel accepted here. Parents and carers echo this warm, inclusive ethos.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ attitudes to their learning are exceptional. Right from their start, pupils learn that adults have very high expectations of them. Pupils enjoy meeting these expectations. They consistently give of their best. Pupils listen respectfully to adults and one another and they take great care with their written work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school widens pupils’ experiences through its well-considered enrichment offer. Pupils have an active voice in the types of clubs on offer. The range of these is vast. The school ensures there is something for everyone. The school upholds its vision for equality by removing any barriers to pupils attending these clubs. Most pupils participate in at least one club. Disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, consistently benefit from these opportunities.

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

The school is determined that every pupil will learn an ambitious curriculum. This includes deliberate choices of enrichment experiences. These bring learning to life and build pupils’ cultural capital and character.

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

The school identifies clearly the knowledge that pupils need to learn. The ‘knowledge stems’ in each subject are broken down into small steps of knowledge within units. This knowledge is shared with pupils at the beginning of each unit of learning. This helps them to be clear about the sequence of learning and to make links with previous knowledge. Pupils have a good recall of the knowledge they have learned. They make links to other areas of the curriculum. For example, ‘eco-week’ encourages pupils to apply their moral, religious and scientific knowledge to real and current issues. This helps them to develop into responsible and active citizens.

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

Reading is a priority throughout the school. The phonics curriculum is ambitious and well- structured. Children in Reception start learning phonics as soon as they start school. They quickly learn the routines of phonics lessons and join in enthusiastically. Well-matched books help pupils to develop accuracy and fluency in their reading. The emphasis is on pupils keeping up with the programme, which most do. There is, however, a small proportion of pupils who do not keep up with the programme. Support for these pupils is not always securing their ability to read fluently. Once they have finished the phonics programme, pupils enjoy learning a range of reading skills using increasingly complex books.

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

The school has made significant improvements to the mathematics curriculum. Forensic analysis identifies the curriculum gaps that need a greater focus. The impact of this is 1 and 2 October 2024

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visible in the improved outcomes of pupils across the school. Within lessons, checks are made to identify gaps quickly so that pupils keep up. For example, the ‘maths meetings’ enable pupils to revisit aspects of the curriculum that they have found tricky.

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Ambition is high for pupils with SEND and they learn alongside their peers. However, at times, staff do not ensure that learning is suitably adapted to pupils’ needs. Where this is the case, pupils with SEND do not routinely build on the vocabulary, concepts or knowledge that they are secure with.

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The school invests in its staff, which they appreciate. Subject leaders support staff well. As a result, staff have strong subject knowledge. Staff work together to design and evaluate the curriculum. This helps staff to implement the curriculum with consistency across the school. The school have identified specific strategies for teaching. These have a positive impact on pupils’ learning.

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The school’s commitment to pastoral care is visible everywhere. Pupils receive high-quality support and feel safe. It is this ethos and skill that has secured success for any pupil who may need help to manage their feelings or behaviour. This is also helping with pupils’ attendance. The school has significantly reduced the number of pupils missing out on learning due to absence.

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Governors have a clear, strategic vision for the school. They are effective in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities. They challenge and support the school well and check the impact of developments in a range of ways. As a result, the school is a single team, working together for continuous improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The work given to some pupils with SEND does not always precisely match their prior knowledge. Barriers are not always reduced for them. As a result, some work given to pupils with SEND does not support them with their learning. The school must ensure staff adapt or scaffold work in a range of ways so that pupils with SEND can secure knowledge across the curriculum.

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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. 1 and 2 October 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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection 4 – 5 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than average Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in the Diocese of Gloucester.  The school’s most recent section 48 took place in June 2019.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any 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: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, teaching and support staff and members of the local governing body. The lead inspector held telephone calls with the local authority and the diocese.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. In addition, they met with pupils informally and formally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation form.

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Inspection team

Angela Folland, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Smith Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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