Stoke Goldington Church of England School

Inspection of Stoke Goldington Church of England School 25 High Street, Stoke Goldington, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire MK16 8NP

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since March 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision, ‘We strive to be the best we can be. Whatever we do, we work at it with all our heart’, shines through every aspect of school life. The school is relentless in its mission to provide the very best of everything. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), flourish academically and socially. Pupils’ impressive success and achievements are rooted in the high-quality curriculum on offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils demonstrate a genuine love of learning. This is because staff carefully nurture pupils’ enthusiasm. They provide high levels of support for pupils to learn collaboratively. Staff also teach pupils to work independently, helping them become confident learners. Across the school, pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are respectful, kind and polite. Everyone works and plays happily together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school builds optimism, confidence and love in its community. It teaches pupils to appreciate and celebrate each other. Pupils understand the small things that people can do to make a positive difference. The school provides a carefully planned and rich range of experiences for pupils. This ensures that pupils appreciate their local community and are excited to explore the wider world.

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

The school’s broad and ambitious curriculum sets out the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn. The curriculum sequences learning so that pupils acquire new knowledge in a logical order, building on what they already know. This begins in the early years. Throughout the school, staff teach the curriculum expertly. They explain ideas thoughtfully. Staff pay meticulous attention to every detail of pupils’ learning, checking what they know and remember carefully. In every activity, no stone is left unturned to ignite pupils’ passion for learning.

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

Reading is prioritised. Staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the phonics programme rigorously. This ensures that pupils acquire reading skills quickly. The books that pupils read are matched precisely to the sounds that they have learned. Staff check regularly that pupils are on track with their reading. Should any pupils fall behind, they receive the support they need to become fluent and confident readers. Staff use ambitious texts to help build pupils’ extensive vocabulary. As a result, pupils talk about their reading with enthusiasm and confidence.

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

Pupils with SEND achieve exceptionally well. The school identifies pupils’ needs promptly and staff make skilful adaptations to their teaching of the curriculum. This enables pupils with SEND to build their knowledge and skills rapidly. In some cases, pupils far exceed the expectations that have been set for them. The school actively encourages and supports disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, to participate in every aspect of school life, such as joining clubs and taking on leadership roles. Parents rightly appreciate how well the school prepares pupils for the next stage of their education. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Pupils have highly positive attitudes to their learning. They thoroughly enjoy becoming deeply absorbed in their work. This starts in the Reception class, where children concentrate hard on their tasks. Pupils speak about their work enthusiastically and help each other willingly. Pupils understand the importance of attending school regularly and punctually. The school’s sensitive and effective work with parents and carers is promoting and securing even better attendance than the high standards achieved in the past.

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The school’s values are at the heart of pupils’ education. They are used as a framework for pupils’ wider personal development. The school provides pupils with a strong moral compass. It develops pupils’ characters so that they understand the difference between right and wrong and become kind and responsible citizens. Pupils are knowledgeable about online safety and physical health.

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Pupils’ confidence and resilience are strengthened by a well-planned and enriching range of extra-curricular opportunities, such as visiting a local gymnastics centre to practise the skills learned in school. Pupils explore the curriculum more broadly through visits to places of interest, such as local and national art galleries. Pupils are taught about diversity. They understand the fundamental British values and their importance in modern Britain. They learn about different religions, building respect and acceptance of others’ beliefs and views.

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Leaders, including the school governors, are tenacious in their ambition to continuously improve the school. They ensure that the school contributes to and benefits from training across the federation schools. Workload and well-being are managed successfully to ensure that staff feel happy and proud to be part of the school community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Dr Victoria Morgan

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School details

Website www.stokegoldington.milton-keynes.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 March 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a very small number of pupils. It is part of the Village Schools Federation. There are five other schools in the federation.  This is a Church of England primary school. The school’s next section 48 Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools is due in 2027. The last inspection of this type took place in November 2019.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector 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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the lead teacher, subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. The inspector also met with governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The inspector spoke by telephone with a representative from the diocese and with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. The inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 The inspector also looked at curriculum information and pupils’ work in other subjects, including writing, geography and science.  The inspector spoke with staff to discuss the curriculum, safeguarding and their workload. The inspector met with pupils and spoke with them about their learning and their views on safety and behaviour.  The inspector listened to a range of pupils read.  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 responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.  The inspector spoke to a range of parents and took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text responses.

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 The inspector spoke with a range of pupils to learn their views about the school.

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Inspection team

Clare Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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