Clearwell Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Clearwell Church of England Primary School Church Road, Clearwell, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16 8LG

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Warm and trusting relationships exist between staff and pupils. Pupils feel safe in school. They are confident that staff will take care of them and help sort out any problems. Pupils know the new school values of respect, responsibility and resilience. They are developing their knowledge of the wider world and their place in it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s new curriculum is ambitious. There are raised expectations of what pupils can achieve. In some subjects, these aspirations are being realised. However, in other subjects, this work has just started. Pupils have gaps in their knowledge, skills and vocabulary that hamper their learning. Pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not well met in some subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils confidently talk about how to live a healthy life. They understand that physical education will help them to develop healthy lifelong habits. Pupils learn how to take care of their mental health. They particularly enjoy outdoor learning experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ interests and talents are nurtured and celebrated. This begins in Reception Year when children perform in whole school concerts. Older pupils are proud to represent the school. For example, at sports events and singing in the local community.

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

The school works effectively with external professionals for the benefit of its pupils. 3 December 2024

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Leaders, including governors, communicate clearly and frequently with parents and carers, and the wider community to engage them in the school’s ongoing development. The school has worked at pace to begin implementing the necessary changes to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. Throughout this time, leaders have been mindful of staff workload and well-being. Staff appreciate this support.

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The school has designed many carefully sequenced subject curriculums that enable pupils to know and remember more over time. Nevertheless, as aspects of the curriculum are being refined, teachers do not have a secure knowledge of what should be taught and when in some subjects. This makes it difficult for them to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Consequently, pupils’ learning can be too easy or too difficult for them to complete. Gaps in their knowledge are not accurately identified or closed sufficiently well in these subjects. This slows pupils’ progress through the curriculum. For some pupils with SEND, the curriculum is not appropriately adapted to meet their needs.

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In contrast, improvements made to the reading curriculum are having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement, particularly in the early years and key stage 1. Pupils are well supported to develop their early reading skills. Repetition through listening to, talking about and reading and writing phonemes and graphemes helps pupils build their phonics knowledge effectively. Pupils with SEND who are at the early stages of learning to read receive additional support to read well. Pupils read books that match their phonics ability. Over time, most pupils go on to successfully develop their reading fluency and comprehension.

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The school’s successful approach to behaviour management is building pupils’ awareness of themselves and the consequences of their words and actions. Some pupils have additional help to learn how to recognise their emotions and respond appropriately to others. This support is swiftly put in place and has a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour. The number of behaviour incidents and suspensions has reduced significantly. The school is calm and orderly.

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Pupils are starting to understand that they can have a positive impact on others’ lives. This is helping pupils to understand about life in modern Britain. However, they have difficulty recalling important knowledge about similarities and differences between British people, places, cultures and religions. Pupils do not have a secure knowledge of the fundamental British values.

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The school has a sharp focus on ensuring that pupils attend school regularly. The development of positive working relationships with parents ensures barriers to their child attending school are removed. This work is successful.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 December 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects the school has not identified the important content that it wants pupils to know and remember. Therefore, staff’s knowledge of curriculum expectations is not secure in these subjects. The school should identify the essential knowledge that it wants pupils to know and remember in these remaining subjects so that pupils learn as well as they should.  The school does not use assessment information effectively in some subjects to check and plan for the development of pupils' knowledge and understanding. As a result, the school does not adapt the curriculum and routinely rectify gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should support staff in using assessment information to effectively adapt the curriculum.  Staff’s knowledge of how to meet the needs of pupils with SEND in some curriculum subjects is not fully developed. Therefore, the use of learning resources and adaptations in these subjects do not help pupils to secure new knowledge. The school

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should ensure that staff know how to successfully support pupils with SEND to progress through the curriculum in all subjects.  The school has not ensured that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils’ knowledge of British values and the cultures, faiths and people living in Britain is superficial. The school should effectively prepare pupils for life in modern Britain so that they understand and respect differences in the world.

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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. 3 December 2024

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in April 2015.

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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). 3 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Joseph Weaver and Sara Wade-West (co-chairs) Headteacher Joanne Jones

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School details

Website www.clearwellprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Clearwell Church of England Primary School is part of the Diocese of Gloucester. Its last section 48 inspection took place in October 2019.  The headteacher was appointed in January 2024.  The co-chairs of the governing body were elected in March 2024.  The school does not 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. 3 December 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, staff and governors including the co-chairs of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority on the telephone.  Representatives of the diocese and of the local authority attended the final feedback meeting.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. They also took into consideration the responses to the survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Hansen Ofsted Inspector 3 December 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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