Radnage Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a school judged Good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Radnage Church of England Primary School City Road, Radnage, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP14 4DW

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Outcome

Radnage Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this small school. They describe being part of a family where everyone knows each other well. This helps them to feel happy and develop confidence. Pupils value the warm relationships they have with staff. They know they can share any worries. Pupils willingly demonstrate the school’s values. They behave with kindness and consideration across the school. At playtime, they share equipment and include others in their games.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high expectations motivate pupils to try their best. They respond positively to encouragement and praise from staff. As a result, in lessons, pupils complete learning activities keenly, which helps them achieve well. Pupils value gaining house points in recognition of their efforts and successes. Pupils excitedly look forward to the weekly ‘sparkle’ assemblies, which celebrate individual successes with the whole school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school promotes participation for all. The school’s many clubs and trips provide pupils with new experiences. Pupils proudly represent their houses in a range of competitions, including sports events. Parents and carers value the school’s work. One captured the views of many, saying, ‘I feel they do the best for the children and always put them at the heart of everything they do.’

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

The school has made considerable improvements to the curriculum. Across subjects, the important knowledge that pupils need to learn is carefully arranged. This begins in the 22 October 2024

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early years, where the curriculum is adapted to build from children’s starting points. New knowledge is introduced in small steps. In foundation subjects, the curriculum has been further developed so that it helps pupils to secure a real understanding of these subjects.

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The school has rightly taken action to improve pupils’ learning of spelling, punctuation and grammar. Across the curriculum, this is now a high priority. Teachers deliberately teach and revisit these skills. This is improving how well all pupils develop their knowledge of how to use grammar and punctuation. It is helping pupils to spell with greater accuracy.

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Reading is a strength. The school’s teaching of early reading helps pupils to become confident readers. Where additional support is needed, this is provided promptly so that it catches pupils up quickly. Pupils study a wide range of texts, which helps them to develop a broad vocabulary.

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Teachers explain new ideas clearly. This is supported by their knowledge of the subjects that they teach. Teachers typically use demonstrations well to help pupils to grasp important concepts. Across lessons, teachers check pupils’ understanding carefully and correct any gaps in their knowledge quickly. As a result, pupils progress well through the curriculum. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school identifies these needs clearly. Teachers know these well and make appropriate adaptations to their teaching. Where pupils need more specialist support, highly skilled teaching assistants help them to access the same curriculum as their classmates.

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Pupils’ attendance is of paramount importance. The school has taken successful action to reduce previously high rates of absence for some pupils. It promotes the value of regular attendance to parents strongly. If pupils miss school, it responds robustly. As a result, fewer pupils are regularly missing school.

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Across the school, pupils’ conduct is courteous and considerate. Pupils learn the importance of the individual contributions that each can make to their community. Consequently, it is of the utmost importance to pupils that they are kind and helpful to others. They understand how this helps to make the school a happy place. From the early years, children learn the school’s routines. Children in the Reception Year demonstrate these well after only a short time in school. Pupils in all year groups choose to uphold the school’s high expectations of their behaviour. Across lessons, they work with focus and purpose.

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The school prioritises purposefully preparing pupils for the wider world. They benefit from a wide range of experiences. At the heart of these, pupils learn how to become more independent. This includes ways of keeping safe, both in society and online. Through experiences in which pupils are encouraged to take on responsibilities, including taking on leadership roles and sitting on the school council, pupils learn about the fundamental British values. Pupils learn about the important issues in society and contribute to fundraising for some of these.

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The school accurately understands its strengths. It identifies and takes effective action to drive further improvements. Governors closely track the school’s progress towards these improvements. They provide appropriate challenge and support for leaders. Staff are 22 October 2024

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effusive about working in the school. They value the school’s measures to keep their workload manageable so they can focus on teaching well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum does not securely develop some pupils’ knowledge of how to use grammar and punctuation or to spell with accuracy. This means that these pupils use grammar and punctuation incorrectly and spell words incorrectly. The school needs to ensure that its newly launched curriculum changes support all pupils in developing a secure understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling.

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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 to be 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2019.

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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. 22 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 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). 22 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 30 April and 1 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxford. Its last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in March 2023.  The school has some mixed-age and some single-age classes.  The governing body oversees before- and after-school 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.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders and teachers. The lead inspector met with representatives of the 22 October 2024

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governing body and spoke with a representative of the diocese. He also spoke with a local authority school improvement adviser.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of their work.  The inspectors observed playtime activities.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school. They considered the school’s development plan.  The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the additional free-text responses. Inspectors also spoke with some parents at the school

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Inspection team

Phillip Blagg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Giles Osborne Ofsted Inspector 22 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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