Fladbury CofE Primary School and Preschool

Inspection of Fladbury CofE First School Church Street, Fladbury, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 2QB

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Fladbury CofE First School is a very welcoming and inclusive school. It has an important role at the centre of this village community. There is a shared understanding of the school’s vision. Pupils develop ‘happy hearts’ and are curious to learn with ‘open minds’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend regularly. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and behave well. Pupils from all different age groups play together in a friendly environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school and learn how to stay safe online. They are confident to share any worries with trusted adults. There is a culture of support and kindness to others. Staff are passionate in ensuring that every pupil’s individual needs are met.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The personal development offer in the school is of an exceptionally high quality. The school goes beyond the expected so that pupils have access to a wide, rich set of experiences. One example is the link between the school and a local assisted living village. Reception children visit once a month. This develops the children’s communication and language skills. Both the elderly residents and the children value this relationship.

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

The school has responded well to address the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Staff have worked collaboratively to develop a broad and balanced curriculum. It is ambitious and meets the needs of all pupils well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school acts quickly to identify pupils’ needs. This means pupils with SEND are supported from the time they start school. Learning is adapted successfully to enable pupils to progress through the curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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

The school recognises that it is still embedding the curriculum. In some subjects, pupils do not make connections between their prior and current learning, or with other subjects. As a result, pupils do not always deepen their knowledge of the curriculum as well as they could. For example, older pupils talk in depth about how the Mayan civilisation lived, from their learning in history. However, they do not confidently relate this to other civilisations studied in the curriculum.

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

There is a high focus on outdoor learning. Pupils regularly learn in the extensive school grounds. This enriches the curriculum and brings learning to life. For example, pre-school and Reception children learn how to work as a team to identify different wildlife in the woodland area. Older pupils confidently create maps of the local area in geography.

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

The school helps pupils develop positive learning behaviours. They discuss their learning with enthusiasm. This starts in the early years, where children get off to an excellent start. They develop high levels of concentration and resilience. Children concentrate on tasks for sustained periods of time. The early years curriculum is designed so that children 25 and 26 February 2025

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develop positive learning behaviours, independence and resilience. This builds as pupils move through the school. They develop enquiring minds.

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Pupils’ love of reading is palpable across the school. The reading curriculum is well organised and sets out what pupils should know and by when. The school’s approach to teaching phonics is effective. Children in the early years quickly learn how to blend sounds together to read simple words. Staff identify pupils who need more practise. These pupils are given timely support to help them to keep up. Pupils read books that match their stage of reading. This helps them to practise using their phonic knowledge. They quickly become confident, fluent readers. Pupils learn about diversity and different cultures through the school’s reading curriculum.

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Pupils learn additional skills and knowledge through the school’s personal development programme. Pastoral support for pupils is very strong. The development of pupils’ character is exemplary. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They are encouraged to demonstrate tolerance and respect to others. Pupils are taught how to stay safe in the wider community. For example, all pupils learn to swim every year due to the school’s proximity to the River Avon. This ensures that pupils can enjoy bell boating, which originates in Fladbury. The school goes beyond the expected so that pupils have access to a wide, rich set of experiences.

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Pupils understand about healthy relationships and know what it means to be a good friend. They learn how to keep themselves healthy, both physically and mentally. For example, pupils know the importance of exercising and eating a balanced diet. Pupils gain age-appropriate knowledge about healthy relationships. Enrichment opportunities are carefully considered to enhance the curriculum.

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Staff are very proud to work at the school. They are carefully supported by school leaders. Governors know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement well. They provide appropriate support and challenge to the school. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They are supportive of the school and value its importance to the local community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum does not fully provide opportunities for pupils to build connections between important knowledge and ideas. This means that pupils do not consistently make links to what they have learned before in order to build on what they already know. The school should develop more opportunities for pupils to revisit 25 and 26 February 2025

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important learning, to help them to connect knowledge and deepen their understanding across all subjects.

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England school. The last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in January 2024.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school operates its own pre-school provision for three- and four-year-olds.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.

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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. 25 and 26 February 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with a range of leaders, including those responsible for the curriculum, teaching and learning, behaviour, attendance, personal development and safeguarding.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing body and held conversations with representatives from the local authority and the Diocese of Worcester.  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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics

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and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in a range of other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted Parent View, and by talking to some parents before and after school. The inspectors also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Matt Fletcher, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Patrick Amieli Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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