Ombersley Endowed First School

Inspection of Ombersley Endowed First School School Bank, Ombersley, Worcestershire WR9 0DR

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 20 and 21 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and confident learners at Ombersley. Pupils are welcomed into a nurturing and inclusive environment. They feel valued and well-cared for. There is a tangible sense of warmth and belonging. Most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and behave well. Relationships are respectful and pupils interact kindly with each other. Pupils hold doors open for adults and for each other. They demonstrate their values of ‘be ready, safe and respectful’. Pupils’ individual needs are very well supported here, including the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have a secure understanding of pupils’ barriers to learning. As a result, most pupils needs are met very well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school pays serious attention to pupils’ mental health and well-being. Staff are quick to act on concerns and work closely with families and external services to support pupils’ pastoral care. Pupils know how to stay safe, both online and in the community. The school invites professionals to speak to pupils about keeping safe when enjoying the canal in their local area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a broad curriculum with exciting clubs, visits and leadership opportunities. For example, pupils particularly enjoy their residential visits and trips to the theatre.

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

The curriculum from Year 1 onwards, builds on pupils’ knowledge in a clear and logical way. In most subject areas, pupils are learning well. While 2024 results in the Year 1 phonics checks do not reflect this, leaders provide precise support for pupils who need additional help in reading. Over time, pupils know more and remember more. In subjects such as mathematics and physical education, pupils achieve particularly well. They speak with enthusiasm about their learning and how it prepares them for the future. The school works very closely with other settings, as pupils move on to their next schools. All this prepares pupils well for their next steps of their education.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They identify gaps in pupils’ learning and address misconceptions quickly. Pupils regularly revisit previous learning. This helps pupils secure a strong understanding of each subject. Staff are skilled at adapting the learning for pupils who may need extra help. For example, staff provide additional resources in lessons to help pupils’ learning. This supports all learners, in particular pupils with SEND.

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

Reading is central to the school’s ethos. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the range of books available in their library and outdoor book nooks. The school provides high-quality and diverse texts. Pupils relish opportunities to read and be read to. The joy of reading is visible throughout the school. The phonics programme is taught consistently from the early years onwards. Pupils who fall behind are quickly identified and supported to catch up. This is particularly evident this academic year. Books are well matched to most pupils’ reading stages. 20 and 21 May 2025

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Staff promote a positive learning environment. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their learning and set personal goals. Classrooms are calm and purposeful. On rare occasions when low-level disruption occurs, it is addressed quickly and effectively. The school ensures that families get the support they need when pupils’ attendance is a concern.

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The personal development of pupils is a strength. The school ensures pupils understand diversity, tolerance and respect. Pupils explore different cultures and religions. They are accepting of others’ views. The curriculum supports financial education and mental health awareness. Opportunities such as school council, playground pals and outdoor learning enrich pupils’ experiences.

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In the early years, staff form strong relationships with children and families. The environment is well resourced. Pupils particularly enjoy learning in the outdoor wooded area of the school. Children know the routines very well. They are particularly enthused by stories, nursery rhymes and experiencing the outdoor learning environment. However, the school has not clearly defined the key knowledge and skills children should learn over time. Learning does not build on prior knowledge in a clear way. While learning is often driven by interesting activities, they do not build on what children can already do. In addition, staff do not always identify and address learning gaps effectively. As a result, this limits the progress children make in early years.

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The school and governors are committed to doing the right thing for children and families. Staff feel valued and well supported. The school prioritises workload and well-being. Staff value the high-quality professional development, in particular around supporting the needs of pupils with SEND. Parents are positive and value the care their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not clearly identified the essential knowledge and skills that children need to learn across the early years. As a result, learning does not consistently build on what children already know and can do in order to prepare them for Year 1. The school should ensure the early years curriculum clearly defines what children should learn and by when.  Staff in the early years do not always implement the curriculum well enough to support pupils’ learning. Learning activities provide pupils with interesting experiences but do not always build effectively on what pupils know and can do. This limits pupils’ learning. The school should ensure that the work teachers give to pupils precisely identifies the important knowledge and skills and enables them to build on their learning. 20 and 21 May 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). 20 and 21 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.ombersley.eschools.co.uk/web

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the deputy headteacher and senior lead teacher were promoted from within the school.  The school make use of one registered alternative provision.  The school runs a before- and after-school provision on site.

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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. 20 and 21 May 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 inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior lead teacher, subject leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector spoke with the chair of governors and with members from the board of governors. Inspectors also talked with parents, staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority.  The lead inspector met with an external school improvement adviser.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at the work of the school in some additional

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subjects, including English.  Inspectors looked at individual pupils’ EHC plans and individual education plans for pupils with SEND and checked these against the school’s provision.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils, formally and informally, about their learning and experiences at school.  Inspectors observed pupils at informal times, including to evaluate pupils’ 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 considered responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included free-text comments. Inspectors also looked at responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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 Inspectors looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation, school policies, curriculum documents and SEND records.

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Inspection team

Anna Vrahimi, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Heather Phillips Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 May 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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