Foxbridge Primary School

Inspection of Foxbridge Primary School Welsted Road, Castle Donington, Leicestershire DE74 2SN

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 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

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Pam Bridgwood. This school is part of Scholars Academy 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), Cleo Redmond, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Graham Smith. 11 and 12 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud to attend Foxbridge Primary School. The school’s motto to ‘nurture, empower, succeed’ is engrained in school life. Pupils feel valued, listened to and safe. They are guided by the school’s values to show respect and kindness to others. They welcome new friends and learn and play harmoniously together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is aspirational for all of its pupils. The curriculum is broad and ambitious. Pupils study a wide range of interesting topics and read books that enthuse them to learn new and ambitious vocabulary. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the same opportunities as their peers and are well supported to be successful. Pupils try hard and achieve well. Pupils are enthused by the enriching experiences that the school provides. These include meeting with visiting experts and learning outdoors and in the community. Pupils enjoy a range of interesting clubs. These activities help to nurture their interests and talents. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils enjoy making their own contribution to school life, for instance, as school councillors and lunchtime monitors. Pupils aim to show responsibility and be resilient. They are proud to be recognised by the school for doing

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and engaging. It is well structured. In all subjects, the school has identified precisely what pupils will learn and when they will learn it. For example, there are many opportunities to revisit important concepts. This is built carefully right from the start of the Reception class. This helps pupils to gain knowledge securely and remember what they have learned.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They present concepts clearly. In classrooms, pupils discuss their learning enthusiastically and use subject-specific vocabulary well. Teachers provide interesting activities and opportunities for pupils to practise skills they have learned. Teachers check pupils’ learning often. However, teachers do not use these checks of pupils’ learning carefully enough to spot pupils’ misunderstandings or learning gaps. This means that, sometimes, teachers do not make appropriate decisions about pupils’ next learning steps . As a result, some pupils do not progress as quickly as they could through the school’s curriculum.

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

Reading is a priority in the school. Phonics is taught well right from the start. This includes a sharp focus on supporting weak readers to catch up quickly. Pupils, including those with SEND, learn the knowledge needed to become accurate readers. Pupils read often from books that are well matched to their stage of reading. This helps them to develop fluency and confidence.

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

Pupils learn demanding vocabulary through the wide range of texts that the school has placed at the heart of the curriculum. Subject-specific vocabulary is studied as part of 11 and 12 February 2025

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every topic. This starts with communication and language being threaded through, from the moment children join the Reception class. Teachers support pupils to structure their written and oral responses well. Pupils use increasingly sophisticated language in their spoken and written explanations. They become confident, skilful communicators.

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The school takes inclusivity seriously. It provides sensitive support to help pupils with SEND learn successfully alongside their peers. Staff make careful adaptions so pupils thrive and achieve well.

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Opportunities to promote pupils’ well-being and help them to make safe choices are woven through everything the school does. Pupils learn to respect and appreciate difference, including different cultures, beliefs and family structures. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain .

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Pupils show positive attitudes to all aspects of school life. Leaders have put in place careful induction procedures, so pupils new to the school get off to a strong start. Pupils move around the school calmly and follow routines and instructions without fuss. The school keeps the importance of attendance in parents’ and carers’ minds. The school is approachable and offers tailored support to families, when needed. Parents are highly appreciative of this. They say that they value the positive impact of the school’s nurturing ethos on their children.

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Staff are proud to work at the school and are excited to be part of growing this new school. They understand the ongoing changes that this necessitates. They value leaders’ actions to consider staff’s workload and to respect their health and well-being.

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The trust’s collaborative support is a strength. Leaders and staff appreciate the opportunities for training that help them in their work to provide pupils with the best education possible. Local governors and trustees are knowledgeable and passionate about the school and are integral to this endeavour.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, teachers do not use their assessment of pupils’ learning carefully enough to spot pupils’ misunderstandings or learning gaps. This means that teachers, sometimes, do not make appropriate decisions about pupils’ next learning steps. The school should support staff with checking what pupils have learned and what they need to revisit or do next, so that pupils achieve well in all subjects. 11 and 12 February 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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Website www.foxbridgeprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Foxbridge Primary School is a new school that opened in August 2022.  The headteacher was recruited prior to the school opening in 2021.  The school is part of Scholars Academy Trust.  The school has grown, year on year, since opening. Currently, the oldest pupils in the school are in Year 3.  The school does not use any 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. 11 and 12 February 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 lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, curriculum leaders and a range of other staff .  The lead inspector met with representatives of the board of trustees and local governing body, including the chair of the board of trustees, and the chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors 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. The lead inspector listened to some

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pupils reading to a member of staff.  The lead inspector also visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work in some other subjects.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times of the school day.  The lead inspector looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ priorities for improvement. She also met with the headteacher and looked at records relating to attendance and behaviour.  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 held discussions with staff, pupils and parents. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, as well as to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Mandy Wilding, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ben O’Connell Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 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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