Cam Woodfield Infant School

Inspection of Cam Woodfield Infant School Elstub Lane, Cam, Dursley, Gloucestershire GL11 6JJ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive and welcoming school. The school’s vision ‘grow, explore, discover’ is at the heart of all that the school provides.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the school’s focus on their well-being . For example, pupils can practise breathing exercises, to support them to have ‘happy minds’. Staff form supportive relationships with pupils, parents and carers. Pupils feel happy and safe at school, because they trust adults to look after them. The vast majority of parents are happy with the school. They typically comment on the fantastic staff, who nurture their children and help them to thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils respectfully follow the school’s high expectations of learning and behaviour. They enjoy school and have positive attitudes to their work. Pupils can explain the behaviour rules, ‘safe, respectful and ready’. However, the school’s work to improve attendance and behaviour is not as successful as it could be. This means that a number of pupils do not attend school regularly, and some misbehave.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides experiences to enhance pupils’ learning, such as trips to museums and to the zoo. Pupils take part in clubs, such as football, gymnastics and cricket. They relish opportunities to take on positions of responsibility, such as ‘playground pals’ and ‘happiness heroes’.

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

The school has gone through an unsettled time over the last year, due to several changes of staff. Following the appointment of new senior leaders, things are now more stable. Leaders are committed to improving the school, and have addressed the areas for improvement identified in the last inspection. Staff feel well supported by the school.

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

The school has designed an interesting and ambitious curriculum, which identifies the essential knowledge pupils must learn. Staff have secure subject knowledge. They explain new learning and design activities to support pupils to gain the knowledge they need. As a result, most pupils achieve well.

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

Reading is prioritised. Children begin to be taught to read as soon as they start school. Staff deliver the phonics programme consistently and confidently. Pupils’ reading books match the sounds that they are learning. Regular practise enables most pupils to become fluent readers.

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

Pupils learn other reading skills, such as vocabulary. For example, Reception children use words such as ‘shimmering’ and ‘prickly’ to describe seashells. Pupils can choose from a wide range of books to read for pleasure. They enjoy listening to stories that adults read to them. Pupils who find reading tricky are provided with extra support. This helps them to improve their confidence and to catch up. 3 and 4 June 2025

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Staff select appropriate activities, which help pupils to build on previous learning. For example, teachers use ‘sticky starters’ to help Year 1 pupils recall words, such as pitch and tempo, to describe a piece of music. In mathematics, Reception children compare quantities of strawberries using words, such as ‘equal, less and ‘more’. Teachers plan interesting activities, which motivate pupils to find things out. For example, Reception children pour water into gutters and explore different ways of making it flow.

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The school swiftly identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It works closely with parents to plan focused pastoral and teaching support, so that pupils can learn the same curriculum as others. Most pupils with SEND progress well through the curriculum.

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However, at times, pupils are not provided with sufficient opportunities to develop a secure understanding of the most important knowledge and skills they need for future learning. This means that some pupils, including pupils with (SEND), are not as prepared for new learning as they could be.

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Pupils who find it tricky to manage their emotions are given extra help. For example, pupils can go to ‘calming spaces’ and use ‘colour monsters’ to describe how they are feeling. This has a positive impact for some pupils. However, the school’s work is not yet having sufficient impact on improving the behaviour of a minority of pupils who find it difficult to recognise and manage their behaviour appropriately.

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The school works closely with families to prioritise attendance. This is beginning to have a positive impact for some pupils. However, a number of pupils, including pupils with SEND, do not attend school regularly. This means they miss out on essential education, and all that the school offers.

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The school supports pupils to develop their talents and interests. For instance, they can learn to play an instrument, such as the ukulele or guitar. Pupils are supported to develop their cultural awareness, such as when they participated in an African dance workshop and listened to a performance by a concert pianist.

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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 school’s checks on pupils’ learning do not fully identify what pupils already know and can do. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. In these subjects, pupils are hindered from achieving as highly as they could. The school should ensure that any key gaps in pupils’ subject knowledge are 3 and 4 June 2025

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identified and addressed effectively in these curriculum areas, so that pupils learn as well as they could in all subjects.  Occasionally, the school does not ensure that the work given to pupils enables them to develop secure knowledge to prepare them for new learning. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as strongly as they should. The school should ensure that pupils are provided with activities that deepens their knowledge and better prepares them for future learning.  The school’s work to improve attendance is not yet having sufficient impact. As a result, several pupils, including pupils with SEND, are frequently absent from school. This means that they miss essential learning, which hinders how well they achieve. The school must continue to work closely with parents to highlight the importance of regular attendance, and ensure that attendance swiftly improves.  The school’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are not yet fully upheld by

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all pupils. As a result, a minority of pupils are sometimes disrespectful, or misbehave. This disrupts pupils’ learning. The school must ensure that all staff consistently share high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, and support pupils to uphold these.

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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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 March 2024, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up her post in September 2024. The deputy headteacher, special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) and family support advisor, have all joined the school in recent months.  The school uses an external provider for before- and after-school care.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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. 3 and 4 June 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second 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.  Inspectors held several joint meetings with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, who is also the early years foundation stage leader. Inspectors also held meetings with other senior leaders, including the SENDCo and the family support advisor.  The lead inspector held a meeting with a group of governors. She also held a meeting with a representative from the local authority, and a telephone call with the school improvement adviser.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a

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sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also looked at a sample of pupils’ work in other subjects.  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 observed pupils’ behaviour at various times during the day, including breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils and staff and spoke to some parents to gather their views. They reviewed responses to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, along with free-text comments. Inspectors also took account of the responses to the online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jen Edwards Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 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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