Southfields Primary School

Inspection of Southfields Primary School Southfields Estate, Stanground, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 8PU

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get plenty of opportunities to ‘smile, shine and be happy’. They respect any differences between themselves and others and treat everyone as part of one school family. Pupils benefit from the support on offer to meet their different needs. Some pupils participate in nurture groups and others enjoy activities that support their sensory needs. Staff actively listen and help pupils of all ages. Pupils feel happy, secure and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has raised its expectations for pupils’ attainment. These were realised in pupils’ achievement in recent national tests. Pupils benefit from a redesigned curriculum where they build a broad range of important knowledge well. They deepen this understanding through a range of exciting trips. For example, Year 6 ‘travel back in time’ to learn about the Victorian era through a visit to a museum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is calm and settled. Pupils respect the school rules and typically engage well in what they learn. Older pupils take on leadership responsibilities supporting positive behaviour in school. ‘Corridor monitors’ note the names of anyone who is not quite meeting expectations so they can be supported to put things right.

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

The school has undertaken effective work to redevelop the curriculum. What pupils should learn is clearly defined in each subject. The school has ensured that staff have received suitable training so they have the subject knowledge they need to teach this curriculum well. Teachers support pupils to organise and connect important knowledge, including through recap activities at the start of lessons. They also support pupils to develop their understanding of wider issues. For example, in art week, pupils learn about artists with disabilities and proudly exhibit their high-quality work in a gallery. However, opportunities like this, to deepen pupils’ knowledge, are not consistent across the curriculum. This includes writing, where staff do not enable pupils to develop writing in greater depth well enough.

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

Right from the start in early years, the school has made sure that developing speech, language and communication is a key focus. There is a specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (specially resourced provision) on site. This supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who have speech, language and communication needs. Specialist staff provide these pupils with well-tailored support. However, the expertise of staff who work here benefits the whole school. This is because practices are shared across the school so that all pupils with SEND access the curriculum as fully as possible.

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

In the Reception Year, staff develop children’s language as they explore learning through play. Children learn in a variety of different ways that stimulate their interest, including in the forest area. Staff use these opportunities to explore important learning, such as which block towers are ‘taller’ or ‘shorter’. This helps provide the early foundations for subjects like mathematics and science. 21 and 22 January 2025

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The school provides a firm foundation for pupils learning to read. Pupils are well supported to decode and blend words through phonics. Across the school, pupils have access to a wealth of books that develop their love of reading. Older pupils get well- structured support to develop their comprehension skills. Those who are behind get the support they need to catch up.

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The school has taken clear and effective actions to reduce the need for suspensions. Staff give pupils the support they need to address the causes of some behaviour. This means pupils get the help they need to be successful. This approach goes hand in hand with a range of ways the school supports families more widely. Staff promote positive and caring relationships, which is reflected in the respectful and polite way pupils conduct themselves.

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Pupils’ personal development is promoted well. Weekly assemblies feature news in pictures where current events are discussed in relation to the fundamental British Values, such as the rule of law and respecting difference. Safety and well-being are prioritised, with discussions on how to stay safe and practical training such as cycle safety to prepare pupils for getting to secondary school. Various clubs cater to pupils’ interests well. Examples of these clubs include Spanish, Makaton and mosaic art. The school also emphasises community connections, such as visiting elderly care homes and participating in charity events like harvest festivals.

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The school is going through a period of leadership transition. However, suitable interim arrangements have been put in place so that pupils’ achievement continues to rise. Governors bring a wealth of experience from the local community, which enables the school to foster strong links. Staff value the consideration leaders have given to changes to reporting and feedback policies. This has freed up more of their time to focus on pupils and has positively impacted staff workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subject areas, including writing, the school does not provide pupils with the opportunities they need to deepen and extend their knowledge fully. This means that although pupils generally learn the intended curriculum well, they do not always extend and deepen their knowledge or achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers provide high-quality opportunities for pupils to extend, deepen and apply their knowledge well across the full curriculum. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 September 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 An interim headteacher has been in post since September 2024. A new headteacher has been appointed for April 2025.  The school has a specially resourced provision that caters for pupils with speech, language and communication needs. Places are allocated by the local authority.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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◼ 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 lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector also met with a representative from the local authority. ◼ Inspectors met with the interim headteacher, the deputy headteacher who is also the inclusion lead, the curriculum lead and other staff members. ◼ Inspectors conducted further meetings with staff regarding safeguarding, special educational needs provision, attendance and personal development. ◼ Inspectors visited the schools specialist resource base. ◼ Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, including early reading, mathematics, history, science and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors

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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 considered the curriculum in a range of other subjects. This included computing, art and design and personal, social, health and economic education. ◼ Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around school and at social times. ◼ 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 confidential online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments.

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Inspection team

James Chester, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Louise Cooper His Majesty’s 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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