Dr South's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Dr South’s Church of England Primary School Bletchingdon Road, Islip, Kidlington, Oxfordshire OX5 2TQ

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Outcome

Dr South’s Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Helen Watson. The school is part of Oxford Diocese Schools Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Anne Dellar, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kathy Winrow MBE.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a strong, nurturing and supportive community where pupils flourish. Its joyful ethos permeates throughout, fostering collaboration and respect among pupils. Staff demonstrate care and understanding, ensuring a positive environment for everyone. This enables pupils to feel safe, happy and respected.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations of what pupils can achieve, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils rise to these expectations and achieve well. Staff encourage pupils to explore and be inquisitive learners. Routines for strong behaviour are embedded in the early years, and these high expectations continue throughout the school. Consequently, pupils’ behaviour is impressive, and they have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils feel confident speaking with adults if they have any concerns or worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the broad range of wider activities, including trips, sporting events, school productions and pond dipping. Pupils raise money for charity and think about others’ needs. They learn about diverse cultures, enriching their understanding of the world beyond the classroom. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. One parent’s comment reflects the sentiments of many, stating, ‘Dr South’s is a wonderful 15 October 2024

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school. The dedicated, caring and committed staff go the extra mile to look after, inspire and teach the children in their care.’

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and sequenced carefully, starting from Nursery. It is designed to meet pupils’ needs and maps out the key knowledge pupils should learn. Teachers select well-chosen activities tailored to pupils’ needs. Pupils are motivated and eager to participate in lessons to achieve their best.

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

Staff have secure subject knowledge. They use it to present information clearly so pupils can relate new learning to what they already know. Pupils revisit key knowledge in lessons. For example, ‘flashbacks’ help them recall previous learning and understand how it links to new knowledge. Occasionally, teachers do not check thoroughly pupils’ knowledge during lessons to identify gaps in their learning. The school is working on refining how teachers check what pupils have learned so gaps in knowledge can be identified and addressed quickly. The school acts decisively to identify pupils with SEND. Staff are skilful at adapting how the curriculum is delivered in a way that meets pupils’ diverse needs. This helps pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their classmates.

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

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. The school’s approach to developing pupils’ love of reading starts from the moment they start school in Nursery. Pupils have access to a wide variety of books, so they can access reading at the correct level. The new school library is a welcoming and quiet space, which promotes the importance and enjoyment of reading. Any pupils who are falling behind in their reading receive help straight away to help them catch up. The curriculum supports pupils effectively to understand different texts and deepen their vocabulary. For example, in one lesson, pupils chose carefully selected words to describe a famous nature historian. This activity prepared them well to write an extended piece using rich vocabulary.

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

The early years is a calm and happy environment where children get off to a great start to their education. They are keen to learn, showing great enthusiasm. Staff develop children’s early mathematical understanding with great care. Staff guide pupils to count accurately. Children’s fine motor skills are developed at every opportunity, including using scissors independently and mouldable clay to make letters and shapes. Staff assist children well in forming letters accurately. This supports children’s later learning when reading and writing simple words and sentences, using their phonics knowledge.

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

The school adopts a comprehensive approach to pupils’ wider development. Pupils benefit from a rich programme to develop their interests and prepare them well to be good citizens. Outdoor learning about nature and wildlife in an off-site forest area strengthens and develops pupils’ rich life experiences. Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. They take on roles of responsibility, including being play leaders and looking after the school environment. Pupils learn how to be safe when online and around railways, as well as about stranger danger and water safety. 15 October 2024

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Leaders strive to continually develop the education provision for all pupils. Staff feel proud to be part of the school. They appreciate the professional development opportunities they get to help deliver the curriculum effectively. Trustees and members of the local governing board have an insightful understanding of the strengths and areas for development. Trust and school leaders have identified sustainable and appropriate next steps for the benefit of all pupils at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school is refining its approach to checking pupils’ understanding of key knowledge. However, this is not yet consistent or embedded across the curriculum. The school does not know how well pupils are deepening key knowledge in all subjects securely and consistently. The school should evaluate and strengthen how it checks pupils’ understanding of key knowledge so it has more clarity about the impact the curriculum is having.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 predecessor school, Dr South’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in October 2013. 15 October 2024

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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, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 15 October 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In September 2024, the headteacher began their role after holding the co-headteacher post at the same school.  The school is part of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford. The school’s last section 48 inspection was carried out in February 2019.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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. 15 October 2024

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the board for Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, the trust’s CEO and representatives from the local governing body. He also spoke to a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, including parents’ free-text comments, were considered. The inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils. The pupil survey was available to the school, but there were no responses.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Darren Aisthorpe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Philip Wayne Ofsted Inspector 15 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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