University of Cambridge Primary School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: University of Cambridge Primary School Eddington Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0QZ

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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Outcome

University of Cambridge Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive headteacher of this school is Glenn Young. This school is part of UTS Cambridge single academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by a board of trustees, chaired by Martin Vinnell. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this vibrant and exciting school. Pupils are safe, and they know how to stay safe aided by the school’s caring and inclusive ethos. Teachers expect pupils to be at their best and show pupils how to be. As a result, pupils gain much important knowledge. They achieve exceptionally well and behave with tremendous maturity and sensitivity to others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school nurtures highly ‘compassionate citizens’ who are well prepared for their future lives. Right from the Nursery, children learn to listen and interact positively with each other and their teachers. Pupils develop healthy relationships that are founded on respect. They embrace the responsibilities they will gain as they grow up. Pupils’ actions and attitudes reflect the school values. They are kind, caring and empathetic.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the racial, social, cultural and religious diversity in society and across the world. They are open minded and tolerant. They make a rich contribution to school life. Older pupils are positive role models. They have significant opportunities to lead others. They run clubs and help younger children to read, for example. Pupils have a voice, and teachers listen. Pupils’ views inform changes to the curriculum and the school environment. These experiences enrich pupils’ understanding of democracy.

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

The school has constructed a highly ambitious, dynamic curriculum. The school draws from a wealth of educational expertise to provide staff with high-quality training and support. Staff, therefore, have a strong subject knowledge. They are passionate about education and are reflective and self-critical. They participate in research. This helps staff to improve provision further. As a result, the curriculum continually evolves to meet the needs of this diverse community in an ever-changing world.

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

Teachers present new knowledge with clarity and precision. The knowledge pupils learn builds on what they have learned before and makes links to other curriculum areas. This reinforces pupils’ understanding of more complex knowledge. For example, in history, children in the early years learn about change and the concept of time. In key stage 1, pupils write autobiographies. Pupils grasp perspective and scale in art as they build clay models of the faces of Tudor and Elizabethan monarchs. A range of trips and visits from academics and other professionals further enhance pupils’ knowledge and cultural understanding.

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

The school prioritises reading and the development of language. Reception-aged children, including those with significant language delay and those with English as an additional language, gain sounds rapidly. By Year 1, pupils read familiar language with fluency. Older pupils read with considerable expression. This helps them to convey emotion convincingly. Any pupil who falls behind in their reading receives precise support, and they catch up. Pupils enjoy reading a range of sophisticated texts. This broadens their vocabulary and understanding of world issues, such as slavery, poverty and conflict. Pupils are, therefore, 21 and 22 January 2025

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articulate and express their ideas with clarity. They justify their opinions with evidence. Pupils write in a range of styles. They craft imaginative stories, such as original narratives that are based on Greek mythology.

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Pupils employ accurate subject specific vocabulary across the curriculum. They use this to reason logically in mathematics. Older pupils compare biomes across the planet in geography. They chronicle the discovery of DNA in science. As a result, they enrich their understanding of the impact of humans on the environment. They also learn about historical figures, such as Rosalind Franklin. This develops their understanding of women’s rights and subjectivity in history.

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Staff rigorously check how well pupils are learning. When pupils make a mistake or misunderstand, teachers provide support and pupils’ learning improves. Teachers also help pupils to work things out for themselves. Pupils are, therefore, resilient and do not give up. They love to solve problems, especially in mathematics. They work well independently, and in groups, to find solutions.

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The school systematically reviews how effectively staff adapt the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff, subsequently, refine adaptations to ensure that pupils with SEND learn even better. As a result, pupils with SEND access the curriculum with confidence and achieve well.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. They appreciate the support they receive and leaders’ actions to manage their workload. They share their leaders’ relentless commitment to providing a high-quality education for these young people. A significant majority of parents, with much justification, enthusiastically endorse the school. Leaders and the trust are rightfully sharing their expertise locally, regionally and indeed internationally.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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 outstanding 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 outstanding for overall effectiveness in 20 and 21 June 2018.

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Website www.universityprimaryschool.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a member of UTS Cambridge – a single academy trust.  The school makes no use of 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. The 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 chair of trustees, other trustees, the headteacher, other leaders, subject leaders, teachers and support staff. The inspectors focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: reading, writing, mathematics, history and 21 and 22 January 2025

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art. The inspector spoke with subject leaders, visited lessons, met with pupils and staff and considered pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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 inspector considered the views of pupils, staff and parents. There were 35 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were 124 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector considered 122 free-text responses from parents.

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Inspection team

Adam Cooke, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lucy Roberts Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

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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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