Swavesey Primary School

Inspection of Swavesey Primary School Middle Watch, Swavesey, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB24 4RN

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Swavesey Primary School is a nurturing and inclusive school where pupils are happy and safe. Whether pupils join straight away in the early years or later from a different setting or country, they are made to feel welcome. This helps new pupils settle quickly and participate fully in school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff ensure that the relationships they establish with pupils are caring and respectful. They listen carefully and help to resolve any worries that pupils may have effectively. Parents overwhelmingly have extremely positive views about the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand adults’ high expectations. Consequently, they behave and achieve well. They contribute well in lessons. Pupils are polite and well mannered. Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Bullying does not happen very often. When it does, it is not tolerated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years have a positive start to their education. They enjoy a well- designed curriculum that supports their development successfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit considerably from the opportunity to participate in a wide range of exciting and stimulating clubs. These include history, gardening and recorder club. Highly tailored enrichment opportunities, such as working with visitors who provide expertise and first- hand experiences, contribute significantly to pupils’ personal development.

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

The school has designed an interesting and well-sequenced curriculum. It is planned clearly so that it builds pupils’ knowledge and skills in a logical way over time. Staff frequently check how well pupils retain and apply their learning. However, in a small number of subjects, leaders are still refining the subject-specific details they want pupils to learn. Consequently, it is not always clear how pupils’ learning builds precisely over time.

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

Early years provision is effective. Staff are skilled in presenting children with appropriate and interesting activities. Consequently, children become active and engaged learners. They develop their knowledge and skills successfully. This includes using rangoli patterns to help with number and letter recognition. Children develop positive attitudes from the outset. They show enjoyment and high levels of concentration as they learn and explore. Even at this early stage, children understand and follow classroom routines. They cooperate and help each other. Children are ready for Year 1.

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

A strong reading culture underpins the curriculum. As a result, many pupils become confident and fluent readers. A love of reading starts in the pre-school. The reading curriculum ensures children get off to a flying start. The school has set out clearly the sounds pupils should know and remember week by week. All staff receive effective training. This enables them to teach phonics consistently well. For pupils at risk of falling behind, there is effective, targeted support that helps them to catch up. Pupils, including those in the early years, talk knowledgeably and enthusiastically about the books they 5 and 6 November 2024

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have read or have had read to them. More confident readers are encouraged to read more widely. Consequently, they read frequently and, over time, develop positive attitudes to reading.

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The school ensures that pupils receive an exceptionally strong personal development program. For example, pupils are knowledgeable about rights, responsibilities and respect. There is a sharp focus on equity and ambition for all. Pupils have opportunities to develop their leadership skills. These are through roles such as being a school or eco- councillor, organising clubs for younger pupils and taking responsibility for the allotment and chicken coop. As a result, pupils learn to make positive contributions and improvements to their school.

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Pupils understand how their learning relates to the world of work exceptionally well. Visits from authors, engineers and doctors help to raise their aspirations. Pastoral care is strong. Staff work hard to support pupils’ well-being.

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Pupils maintain strong and respectful relationships both with adults and each other. Staff set clear expectations to ensure classrooms are productive spaces for learning. Pupils learn with little disruption. The school keeps clear records of any incidents of poor conduct. This means that leaders spot any unusual patterns. They intervene quickly to stop issues from escalating. Therefore, the school is a calm and orderly place for learning.

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The governing body is well trained and knowledgeable. This ensures that the school is held to account for the actions it takes. Governors and school leaders share the same values and vision. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Staff value the extensive training opportunities on offer. They feel valued and well supported and acknowledge that leaders are considerate of their well-being. They are proud to work 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)

 In a small number of subjects, the school is yet to finalise the subject-specific content and vocabulary that it wants pupils to learn. Consequently, teachers are not always clear how pupils’ learning builds over time. The school should ensure that all subjects are planned and sequenced in detail so teachers know precisely what to teach and when to teach it.

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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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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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school provides before- and after-school childcare.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has classes from pre-school to Year 6. Children join the pre-school from the age of two and a half.

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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 evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic 5 and 6 November 2024

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began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To discuss governance, an inspector met with representatives of the local governing body, including the chair.  An inspector met with the local authority school improvement adviser.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead, school subject leaders and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, physical education and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around school and at social times.

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They considered pupils’ views about behaviour and bullying in school. They also spoke with staff.  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.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and Ofsted’s staff survey. They considered responses to the parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free- text messages.

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Inspection team

Nichola Pickford, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Luke Wildig Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 November 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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