Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy Vicarage Road, Finchingfield, Braintree, Essex CM7 4LD

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Outcome

Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive head of the school is Martin Hawrylak. This school is part of the Canonium Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Lois Osborne, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andy Hayman.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to their school and say that staff ‘concentrate on us as individuals’. This is a small school that ‘welcomes everyone into the family’. Pupils are proud of their school and the friendships they have formed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of being loving, healthy and curious are evident from Nursery to Year 6. There are warm and respectful relationships between staff and pupils. Older pupils are positive role models and enjoy supporting the younger children. Pupils feel safe at school and know who their trusted adults are. They know that staff will listen to them and that they can use the ‘worry box’ if they have any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils happily take on the responsibility of looking after their school and each other. School councillors work with staff to improve the school or buy playground equipment. Pupils behave extremely well around the school, in lessons and in the playground. They know the high standards of behaviour that staff expect. Clear routines are in place from the nursery and throughout the school. Pupils respond quickly to teachers to gain their attention. 26 November 2024

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Pupils enjoy their lessons. They relish discussing their learning with their classmates and are eager to explain what they have remembered from previous lessons. They achieve well overall.

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

Leaders at all levels provide a school that balances high expectations and standards of work with enjoyment and nurture. These principles apply as much to staff as to the pupils in their care. Following significant changes, the school and trust provide the right support to all staff to maintain the effectiveness of the school.

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

The school has redesigned the way the curriculum is planned to meet pupils’ needs. It outlines the most important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn. In most subjects, pupils have a good depth of knowledge, which is evidenced in their written work. However, on some occasions, lesson activities are not well matched to the different needs of pupils. As a result, work does not always show what pupils are capable of.

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

Children in the newly developed nursery get off to a flying start and expectations are high. The school prioritises development of communication and language, ‘home skills’, and independence in early years. Children are engaged and enthused by their learning in the separate Nursery and Reception classes. These environments are rich in high-quality interactions, where every opportunity is taken to model vocabulary and talk. As a result, children thrive and are confident communicators, eager to share their learning with visitors. Children are well prepared for Year 1.

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

The school works closely with families of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to put the right support in place and check that it is effective. The school makes adaptations to the curriculum for pupils who need them. These include pictorial timetables, additional learning resources or where pupils are seated in the classroom. As a result, pupils with SEND learn with their classmates and achieve well.

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

The school places a high priority on developing enthusiastic, fluent readers from the outset. For the few pupils who fall behind, the school puts the right help in place. Pupils quickly develop their reading skills and enjoyment of a wide variety of books. Teachers regularly share different genres and high-quality texts with their classes. Older pupils use that knowledge and experience in their writing to great effect.

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

Pupils learn in calm classrooms. They do not experience unkind behaviour, as they look after each other. The school has been on a journey to re-establish trusting and supportive relationships with parents and carers and the local community. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. Most pupils come to school regularly. However, despite the school’s considerable efforts, a significant minority of pupils are absent from school too often. This means they are missing out on valuable learning and social activities.

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

The school has ensured that the wider curriculum supports pupils’ personal development well. It provides many enriching extra-curricular experiences, for example visits to 26 November 2024

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Stansted Airport, Chelmsford Museum and a local outdoor centre. The trust has also begun to develop inter-school sporting opportunities, for example in tag rugby, which pupils welcome.

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Staff feel supported by leaders and are proud to work at the school. Trustees and governors know the school well. They have allocated additional resources effectively to the school throughout a turbulent time. They support and challenge the school appropriately. Leaders at all levels make decisions in the best interests of pupils in this joyful school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On some occasions, learning activities do not meet the needs of different groups of pupils. This means that work produced by some pupils does not show what they are capable of or the progress they should be making. The school must ensure that teachers set tasks that precisely match pupils’ needs.  A significant minority of pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they are missing valuable learning opportunities. The school should continue to work with parents to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly to support their learning.

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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. 26 November 2024

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Finchingfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in 2013.

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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). 26 November 2024

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School details

Headteacher Martin Hawrylak, Executive Headteacher

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 There have been many recent changes in leadership of the school. An executive headteacher was appointed across all primary schools in the trust in November 2022. The head of school and deputy headteacher started in their roles at the school in 2023. Many changes to membership of the local governing committee have also taken place recently.  Due to fluctuating numbers of pupils on the school’s roll, organisation of the classes, the curriculum and provision, including a newly developed nursery, have all taken place during the last two years.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school runs breakfast and after-school clubs.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Chelmsford. It last received a section 48 inspection in January 2019 and is due to be inspected again by January 2027. 26 November 2024

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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.  Inspectors met with the chair of the board of trustees, the CEO, two members of the local governing committee, including the chair, the executive headteacher, the head of school and the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning, listened to some pupils read, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at information about the curriculum, the school’s priorities and its own self- evaluation, and examples of minutes of governing committee and trust board meetings.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents on Ofsted Parent View and considered

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Information about this inspection

the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  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.

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Information about this inspection

Ruth Brock, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Information about this inspection

Ania Vaughan Ofsted Inspector 26 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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