Cumnor Church of England School (Voluntary Controlled)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Cumnor Church of England School (Voluntary Controlled) continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming and caring school. They are encouraged to 'love others as you love yourselves', and they certainly do.

There are warm and supportive relationships between staff and pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe.

All staff have high expectations for pupils' learning and behaviour.

Pupils behave well in class and around the school. Bullying is rare. Pupils know that adults are always on hand to help should they need them or if there are any instances of unkindness.

Pupils talk with great enthusiasm about... the many opportunities they have outside the classroom, such as the Year 5 residential and trip to see 'Matilda the Musical'. Adults make great use of the local environment to bring learning to life, such as visits to the local church and exploring the surrounding countryside. These experiences help pupils to connect their learning with the wider world.

Staff morale is high and there is a strong sense of teamwork across the school. Parents and carers are positive about the school. One parent said, 'It is a brilliant school and all the staff there work so hard to keep it running to a high standard.'



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

Leaders have developed an interesting and ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In most subjects, the curriculum is well sequenced. Leaders have identified the key knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to learn from the early years to Year 6.

Staff make sure pupils revisit and recap knowledge previously taught, including in other subjects.

Where the curriculum is fully effective, pupils are able to remember more over time. For example, in mathematics, pupils can recall key mathematical vocabulary when learning new concepts.

However, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not set out the precise vocabulary and knowledge to be taught. This means pupils may miss out on required key learning they need to achieve as well as possible.

Leaders have made the teaching of reading a high priority.

Phonics is taught well so that children in the early stages of learning to read become fluent and successful quickly. They read books that are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. Support is in place to ensure pupils catch up quickly if they fall behind.

Pupils with SEND have their needs identified early and are supported effectively. Teachers make successful adaptations to how learning is delivered to enable pupils with SEND full access to the curriculum. Leaders make sure that pupils experience a wide range of texts that link to the topics they are learning.

Teachers share their love of stories and pupils talk enthusiastically about the stories they have listened to. Pupils can name favourite authors and the books they are currently reading in school. They demonstrate a love of reading.

Pupils have lots of opportunities to learn about numbers as soon as they start in Reception. This is typical of the carefully considered early years curriculum. The learning activities in the indoor and outdoor environments provide opportunities for children to revisit prior learning.

Pupils, including the youngest children, behave very well. There is a calm atmosphere around the school. Pupils play well at lunchtimes.

In lessons, they share and discuss their ideas in a considerate way. Pupils' attendance has remained high because of the strong oversight and support provided by leaders and staff.

Personal development is a real strength.

Throughout the curriculum, leaders have identified opportunities to promote pupils' broader development. In outdoor learning activities, pupils learn how to solve problems and build their knowledge of the natural world. They enjoy learning musical instruments, cooking and performing at school assemblies.

Pupils attend a wide range of clubs that help to extend learning beyond the school day. Visitors and trips help pupils learn about different cultures and religions. Pupils relish the opportunity to develop their leadership roles as part of the school council.

The council members play an active part in looking after their environment and the school's facilities. This helps to build a strong sense of community.

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

They feel well supported and appreciate the high-quality training they receive to continually improve their practice. Leaders, including governors, are considerate of staff workload and well-being. All staff say they are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a culture of vigilance. Regular training ensures that all staff know how to report any concerns about a pupil.

Record-keeping is thorough and well organised. Staff work well with other agencies to support pupils and families when necessary.

Through the curriculum, staff teach pupils about how to keep themselves safe, including how to keep safe online and in the wider community.

Parents, pupils and staff agree that the school is a safe place to be. One parent said, 'I have been particularly impressed by the level of care and attention given to the emotional well-being of my child.'

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a minority of subjects, leaders have not identified precisely what subject content and vocabulary pupils need to learn and in what order.

While the ambition of the national curriculum is covered, the curriculum is not fully supporting pupils to develop an in-depth understanding of some concepts so that they achieve as well as they could. Leaders should make clear what knowledge and vocabulary needs to be prioritised and establish exactly when this knowledge should be taught and recapped.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2013.

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