Curzon Church of England Combined School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Curzon Church of England Combined School Penn Street Village, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP7 0QL

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Outcome

Curzon Church of England Combined School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Julia Payne. This school is part of the Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools 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), Sulina Piesse, and is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Michael Mill.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A ‘Curzon Child’ learns in a happy and safe school. The school is a place where academic achievement and personal development are equally essential to pupils’ well-being. Pupils are fiercely proud of their school. They embody the school’s values of ‘courage, kindness and respect’ in the way that they learn and behave. Parents and carers agree. One parent’s comment is reflective of many, ‘The school encourages children to be the best they can be in all aspects of their education.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is evident in their above-average attendance. Pupils show excellent behaviour and attitudes to their learning. These learning behaviours start in the early years. Effective and consistently applied routines help children to settle quickly and make friends. Building on this strong foundation, pupils across the school reach their teachers’ high expectations. All pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school because they trust the adults who provide very high levels of care and support. Relationships are strong. Opportunities for pupils to take up leadership roles are many and varied. Pupils take these roles very seriously, which significantly helps to develop their character, sense of responsibility and respect for others. 29 and 30 April 2025

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

The school’s ambitious curriculum is well planned with a clear intent to provide high- quality learning while prominently promoting pupils’ personal development. The curriculum is clearly mapped out to make sure that subjects have complete coverage, enabling all pupils to experience the full range of the curriculum. The sequence of learning within subjects has been carefully considered. The school wants pupils to be able to build on their knowledge. Pupils learn the right knowledge in a logical order. The school recognises that in a few subjects in the wider curriculum, this needs to be more precise.

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

The school sees reading as the ‘gateway to learning’. Reading has significant prominence in the curriculum. From the Reception Year, phonics is taught with precision by well- trained teachers and teaching assistants. Phonics teaching is sequenced, structured and delivered consistently. This helps pupils develop confidence and good attitudes to reading. Pupils throughout the school enjoy reading. If pupils fall behind, teachers take swift action to make sure that they get the necessary help to catch up.

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

Young children have a rich introduction to early mathematics. They have many practical opportunities to learn to count. They become competent in their understanding of numbers. This provides a solid foundation for their later learning in mathematics in Year 1 and beyond. The school develops arithmetic well throughout the school. Pupils can explain their calculations using the correct mathematical language.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge and high expectations of all pupils. They deliver interesting lessons that capture pupils’ interests and provide clear instructions so that pupils know exactly what they need to do. They check regularly to make sure that pupils understand learning and to prevent misconceptions. Teachers take swift action to rectify any misunderstandings. They make appropriate adjustments to their teaching to ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND can access learning. Teachers encourage pupils to make links between subjects. For example, Year 6 pupils use their mathematical skills to interpret data in science when explaining why pulse rates increase with exercise. Teachers give pupils many opportunities to discuss their work with one another and justify their answers. This not only helps with pupils’ understanding but also develops confidence and resilience.

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

The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. Enrichment opportunities are mapped in great detail across the curriculum. This has a significant impact on the learning and development of all pupils. For example, pupils have opportunities to broaden their experiences and develop their resilience by taking part in forest school activities and by travelling on the London Underground. They develop their confidence, for example, by leading prayers as a ‘worship councillor’. Also, older pupils act as role models as reading buddies for younger pupils.

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

Pupils act as advocates for one another, celebrating difference and recognising the achievements of their friends. As a result of these extensive opportunities, pupils are tolerant, accepting, confident and compassionate. 29 and 30 April 2025

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Staff have confidence in school leaders. Leaders listen to them and consult them on changes that might affect their workload or well-being. Staff appreciate the time given to them to complete tasks and the opportunities they have for professional development. Governors provide effective support. The trust has made a significant contribution to the success of the school through the provision of high-quality professional development and comprehensive safeguarding training.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects in the wider curriculum, the school has not specified for teachers the essential knowledge and skills that pupils need to know precisely enough. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge, and they do not achieve as well as they could. The school should clearly define what pupils need to know in all subjects so that pupils build new learning on solid foundations of knowledge and achieve their best.

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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 to be good 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 predecessor school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2017. 29 and 30 April 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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected.

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Information about this school

 As a Church of England school, the school’s next section 48 inspection is due in the next academic year. The previous section 48 inspection was in April 2018.  Curzon Church of England Combined School converted to become an academy in June 2020. When its predecessor school, Curzon Church of England Combined School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  The school has mixed-age classes in the early years, Year 1 and Year 2.  There is before- and after-school care on site. Before-school care is managed by an external provider. After-school care is managed by the school.  The school does not currently use any 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 29 and 30 April 2025

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began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and other senior staff, including subject leaders. He met governors, including the chair of the governing body. He spoke to a representative of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford. In addition, he spoke to the CEO and trustees of Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of 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.

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 The inspector considered the views of parents submitted to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Bill James, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 April 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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