Bloxham Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Bloxham Church of England Primary School Tadmarton Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 4HP

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 1 and 2 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school. Staff know each pupil well. This helps pupils to feel safe, cared for and ready to learn. Pupils live out the school’s values of ‘inclusive, caring, ambitious, trustworthy, creative and honest’. These values are central to how pupils interact with each other and how they feel about themselves. Pupils are highly respectful of each other. They consider the feelings of others and take pride in helping younger children to play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is determined for pupils to achieve well. Children in Reception Year benefit from expert support to develop strong vocabulary and early number skills. In the rest of the school, pupils do not learn as well as they should. They are not consistently taught to use and to remember key knowledge over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an extensive range of opportunities to understand the world around them and the local area. They learn how they can make a difference in the school as members of the ‘Pupil Parliament’, librarians and many other leadership roles. Pupils are proud to help the wider community, such as by raising money for local charities and visiting a local care home. They develop into mature and respectful young people.

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

The school has made significant improvements to the early years provision. Children get off to a strong start. The early years curriculum is designed and sequenced well. Staff have a sharp focus on developing children’s communication, language and social skills. Children are curious, excited to learn and they follow routines with maturity. They are prepared well for key stage 1.

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

Staff are ambitious for all pupils. However, the school’s actions to improve the curriculum have not achieved this ambition consistently and effectively. In many subjects, the knowledge that pupils need to learn has not been identified clearly. This means that staff do not consistently connect new knowledge to prior learning effectively. Therefore, although pupils recall what they have been taught recently, they struggle to remember what they have been taught before.

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

The school swiftly identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff provide effective support for pupils, who struggle to manage their emotions. They skilfully help pupils to return to their learning as soon as they can.

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

Staff have secure subject knowledge. They explain and model learning clearly. At times, however, lesson activities do not give pupils the opportunity to deepen their understanding. Equally, sometimes, activities are not adapted sufficiently to ensure that pupils with SEND develop knowledge securely. Pupils too often remember the activities they complete without remembering the key knowledge that they were expected to learn.

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

Reading is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. Pupils develop a love of reading. They learn to read fluently. Phonics is taught well. Staff check the sounds that pupils know 1 and 2 July 2025

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precisely. Pupils who need extra support with reading are identified swiftly. Staff then help pupils to catch up quickly. In other subjects, staff do not check pupils’ understanding systematically and address misconceptions as effectively as they should. This means that too often pupils continue to make mistakes in their work, which hinders their progress through the curriculum.

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The school has established clear routines to help pupils to behave well. These routines are linked to the values of the school that are understood by all staff and pupils. Consequently, pupils have positive attitudes to learning and they work hard. Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly in recent years. The school quickly identifies those pupils who need extra help to attend frequently. These pupils and families then have highly effective support to address barriers to attendance.

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Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. The school is highly inclusive, ensuring equal access to all opportunities. Pupils are prepared well for each next step. They develop a deep knowledge of online safety. Pupils know how to keep mentally and physically healthy, and when to ask for help. They learn to debate and discuss difficult concepts. Pupils listen to and respect the views of others. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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Governors know the school’s strengths and areas for development. They work closely with the school and have increasingly positive impact. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel valued and supported in their roles. Staff are committed to working in this school as it builds on the recent improvements. They know that the school’s decisions focus unwaveringly on the best interests of pupils.

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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 has not sufficiently identified the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that the new knowledge that pupils are taught is not consistently connected to what pupils already know. The school should ensure that it finalises its curriculum to identify specifically what pupils should learn, and when, so that pupils can remember more and achieve more highly.  Sometimes, activity choices are not designed to focus on the knowledge that pupils need to know or practise using. At times, these activities are also not appropriately adapted to remove barriers to learning for pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils do not build their knowledge or understanding as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff design and adapt activities appropriately, so that these consistently support pupils, including those with SEND, to develop knowledge securely.

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 In several subjects, assessment is not sufficiently developed. This means that staff do not consistently check what pupils have learned and can remember. Pupils’ gaps in knowledge or misconceptions are, therefore, not identified and addressed quickly or systematically enough. The school should ensure that there are clear systems in place for staff to check pupils’ knowledge and then adapt learning so that pupils achieve well.

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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). 1 and 2 July 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 October 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up their position in December 2022. The senior leadership team has changed substantially since the previous inspection.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school has a religious character. It is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxfordshire. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 on 15 March 2017.

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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. 1 and 2 July 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team met with the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and pupils. The lead inspector met with the members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and representatives of the local authority and diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also reviewed the writing curriculum.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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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 inspection team observed behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors spoke formally with groups of pupils as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day. They considered the views expressed in Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments.  Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Alexandra Aldridge-Gibbons, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sue Cox His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 July 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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