Little Thetford CofE Primary School

Little Thetford CofE Primary School

Address: Green Hill, Little Thetford, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 3HD Unique reference number (URN): 149958

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

From the start, children and pupils gain a secure foundation for future learning, particularly in early reading and phonics. Leaders' actions have increased the effectiveness of provision. Pupils blend letters and sounds with increasing fluency and accuracy. Pupils who find reading hard are given additional support and practice. Younger pupils develop a solid understanding of number. Over time, pupils become increasingly confident in mathematical problem solving and reasoning. Sometimes, however, work for pupils is too easy, so opportunities to extend knowledge are missed. Pupils learn the wider curriculum effectively. Pupils write clearly with accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils who have barriers to learning gain the knowledge they need. Typically, they learn as well as their peers. As a result, over time, pupils attain well in national tests and examinations. By the end of key stage 2, pupils are well prepared to move on to the next phase in their education.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils attend very well here. This includes pupils with barriers to learning. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Staff promote the value of high attendance. If pupils find it hard to attend school as regularly as they should, staff work closely with pupils and families to identify and address any issues. They support pupils to successfully improve their attendance.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils typically behave well. There are clear expectations of how pupils should behave. Staff are largely consistent about how they apply these expectations. Particularly when teaching is precisely planned and engaging, pupils are attentive and focused. When teaching is less well matched to pupils' needs, sometimes pupils are less attentive. Disruption to learning, beyond some 'chatting', is, however, rare. If pupils struggle to conduct themselves as well as their peers, staff take the time to explore the causes and consequences of their actions. This helps pupils manage their emotions or conduct, so they improve. Pupils are typically kind and considerate to each other. Pupils know what bullying is. They say that it happens infrequently, and when they report it, it stops. If pupils ever fall out with each other, staff help them patch up their differences.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have taken effective steps to develop and embed an ambitious curriculum. They have identified the important subject and foundational knowledge that pupils need to succeed. Pupils build their knowledge over time, revisiting and building upon previous topics. They apply this body of knowledge when they approach new content. This means that pupils gain and remember important knowledge over time.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is generally taught well. Staff have secure subject knowledge. When teaching is most effective, staff clearly introduce new learning. Pupils have opportunities to apply what they have learned. Teachers check how well pupils have grasped new knowledge. They adjust the curriculum so pupils with barriers to learning can access it effectively. That said, when teaching is less effective, checks on knowledge are not precise enough. This means that opportunities to close gaps and to adjust the curriculum are missed.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

From Reception onwards, pupils are taught to blend letters and sounds into words. They become fluent and accurate readers. Pupils have many opportunities to read widely. They practice extended writing. Leaders know that while pupils typically develop secure knowledge and understanding in mathematics, more consistent approaches to modelling and language would further strengthen pupils' knowledge and understanding.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders plan for all pupils to have a positive start in Reception, including in relation to care practices. Leaders and staff work effectively with parents and carers and with other settings to get to know children.

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Early years Expected standard

There is a carefully planned ‘formal’ curriculum. Pupils gain a strong foundation for future learning. Children blend letters and sounds. They write words using plausible spellings. Staff swiftly and accurately identify children's barriers to learning. Staff arrange any additional support that they need. Teaching is typified by secure subject knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn. Adults address gaps and tackle any misunderstandings, such as errors in letter formation.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff have built a bright and engaging learning environment. Staff talk to the children about what they are doing. This develops children's communication skills. Children confidently explore their interests. However, staff do not always closely check the activities children have chosen to do. Opportunities to move them onto tasks that broaden their interests and knowledge are not always taken. Overall, children develop a broad range of skills across all areas of learning. Typically they achieve a good level of development in readiness for key stage 1.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff establish clear routines. Children know what they need to do and when. Over time, they become increasingly self-confident and independent.

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Inclusion Expected standard

From the start, leaders accurately identify pupils' needs. Staff have high expectations of how well all pupils can do. They check how well pupils access the curriculum. Leaders liaise closely with other providers and schools. Leaders use the information they collect to arrange, and provide support for, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are well informed about pupils' barriers to learning. Staff assess, make plans for and review pupils' progress against their targets with parents, carers and pupils. Staff use their training to adapt the curriculum for pupils. These adaptations are often effective, although at times, where checks on pupils are insufficiently thorough, these are not always precise enough to deepen their knowledge.

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Inclusion Expected standard

If pupils have specific challenges and needs, staff work closely and effectively with external services to provide effective support for pupils. These include the virtual headteacher for looked after children and speech and language therapists. In school, staff typically use well- judged interventions effectively to ensure that pupils have additional targeted opportunities to develop and practice their knowledge, such as phonics or mathematics. As a result of this work, pupils with barriers to learning access the curriculum well. They enjoy attending school and progress well from their starting points.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have taken robust steps to improve the quality of the school's curriculum. This has been particularly impactful in aspects such as early reading and phonics. The school is fully inclusive in its approach. Staff care about pupils and want them to be the best they can be. Teachers benefit from a broad professional development offer. This ensures that teachers have the subject knowledge they need to plan and teach the wider curriculum. This work has been against a backdrop of staffing and other challenges. As a result of this, staff have had to take on additional roles. Teachers and leaders use expertise and resources from across the trust, including local 'hub' schools. This enables them to carry out their roles, develop their practice, and manage their workload. Leaders know that support must be ongoing and extended to ensure staff at all levels are fully equipped to carry out their roles highly effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees check the effectiveness of the school's work. They ensure that pupil premium funding is spent appropriately, and that safeguarding procedures keep pupils safe.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents and carers have mixed views on the effectiveness of the school's provision. While many parents are positive about how well pupils learn and are supported, others express frustration about aspects such as communication and the breadth of the school's enrichment offer. Although staff engage with parents through events such as curriculum workshops and parent forums, further work is required to ensure that all stakeholders have confidence in the school's work.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils build their knowledge of how to navigate the world around them. They learn about their place in the world. They learn how to make the right choices. Pupils know how to stay safe. For instance, pupils understand how to use the internet safely and how to protect their identity online. Pupils know about the importance of personal space and healthy relationships. Across the curriculum, pupils learn the importance of diversity and tolerance. This is largely reflected well in how pupils treat each other. Incidents of unkindness, when they happen, are usually swiftly resolved. If bigger issues emerge leaders adapt the personal development curriculum to address them.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils relish opportunities to learn, first hand, about the arts and culture. They visit art exhibitions, and take part in drama performances. Every other year, pupils take part in a programme with the Royal Opera House. Pupils often take part in clubs in school, such as gymnastics or cookery clubs. Some of these clubs are led by pupils. Leaders track who is participating in these opportunities. Disadvantaged and other pupils with barriers to learning are supported to take part in the school's offer. Most do. Pupils visit and take part in activities at the local church and Ely Cathedral. However, due in part to staffing changes, the number of clubs and trips has recently fallen. Some pupils do not currently take part in enough opportunities to develop their interests, confidence and resilience. This is a source of frustration for some pupils, parents and carers. Leaders know that there is important work

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

to do to rebuild and broaden the extra-curricular offer and to ensure that pupils fully participate in it.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils receive effective pastoral support. This helps them feel safe, focus on their work, and attend well.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy coming to school. All groups of pupils attend very well. They like their teachers. Pupils are confident that if they have any worries, staff will listen to and support them. Staff provide pupils with the guidance and help they need to feel safe and do well at school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are keen to learn the ambitious curriculum. Older pupils, for instance, enjoy learning Latin. Pupils produce much high-quality work because, over time, they are generally taught well. They learn the intended curriculum effectively. This is particularly the case in early reading and phonics. This gives pupils a solid foundation for future learning. Pupils consequently attain well in national tests.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Staff know pupils' barriers to learning. Consequently, staff support and usually adapt the curriculum well so pupils can access it. Where necessary, leaders arrange additional support for pupils to help them achieve well and enjoy school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are polite and well-mannered. There is little disruption to learning. Almost all pupils treat their peers, and adults, kindly and with respect. Staff intervene effectively to help pupils understand the consequences of any less positive or unkind behaviour. This improves their conduct. Pupils understand the importance of tolerance and equality. They learn about a range of faiths, and topics such as migration and rights.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, both on- and offline. They recognise local contextual risks, such as around the river, and road safety. Pupils enjoy a range of trips such as a residential. They enjoy opportunities to perform, such as in the cathedral, and in school plays. While pupils usually attend clubs, some pupils, like some parents and carers, are frustrated that the range of these has shrunk. Leaders have plans to widen the offer and to increase participation.

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Next steps

Leaders should develop pupils’ interests and resilience by broadening the range of personal development opportunities, and ensuring high levels of participation in these. Leaders should ensure that staff at all levels consistently have the knowledge and skills to carry out their roles to a high standard. Leaders should develop their work to build constructive relationships with all parents. Leaders should ensure staff use checks on learning to ensure that activities precisely meet the needs of pupils, so that pupils consistently gain the breadth and depth of

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 7 July 2026

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About this inspection

Little Thetford CofE Primary School is a member of the Grace Schools multi-academy trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Jackson. The chief executive officer of the trust is Adrian Ball.

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About this inspection

Since the previous inspection, the school joined the Grace School multi-academy trust in September 2023.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under Section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

The inspection team spoke with school and trust leaders, including the headteacher in her role as acting SENDCo. They also held discussions with representatives of the trust board and chief executive officer of the trust. Inspectors spoke to staff, parents and carers, and pupils.

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About this inspection

The school currently does not use any alternative provision for pupils.

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About this inspection

Sarah Durrant: Headteacher Well below average

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2023/24 (final) 63% 61% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (final) 77% 75% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 75% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 75% 72% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 4.5% 5.2% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 11.7% 13.0% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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