Oakington CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Oakington Primary.

They learn in a happy and safe school community. Pupils of all faiths embody the school's Christian values. They enjoy positive relationships with caring staff.

Pupils and their families receive effective support for their well-being. Parents praise how pupils 'love going to school.'

Expectations are high.

Pupils benefit from a well-planned curriculum. They value how teachers make lessons interesting. As a result, pupils like knowing new things.

They describe how learning about the Egyptians results in them wanting to read books about this at home.

Behaviour is orderly. Pupils behave well through...out the day.

They focus well in lessons. Children in early years quickly respond to clear routines. Pupils learn how to be kind.

Older pupils look out for younger ones. Pupils are polite and friendly. For example, they open the door for adults with a smile.

Pupils enjoy an ample range of opportunities. Exciting trips extend what they know from class, such as to learn about science in Cambridge. There is a variety of interesting and fun clubs, including coding, dodgeball and musical theatre.

Pupils can volunteer for leadership positions and charity work. These experiences successfully develop their character.

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

Leaders and the trust have worked on changing the school culture.

They have established a clear and consistent ethos that has successfully contributed towards raising standards. The school is vigilant in keeping children safe.

There is a well-designed curriculum.

This identifies the knowledge pupils need to be ready for secondary school. Careful planning breaks down the learning step by step. Leaders identify the key vocabulary pupils should know, including by when.

Children in Reception learn what they require for key stage 1, such as learning about number. Subject leaders make sure the curriculum is put in place as it should be. As a result, learning builds closely on what pupils already know.

Pupils remember a lot of what they have been taught. For example, key stage 2 pupils recite multiplication tables with confidence.

Staff teach the curriculum as intended.

Their subject knowledge is strong. For instance, teachers helpfully model new content in geography. They plan activities that help pupils apply their learning.

In the early years, staff show children how to take turns, which enables them to demonstrate what they know successfully. Teachers check learning carefully through, for example, well-considered questions. They correct misconceptions.

Consequently, pupils develop a deep understanding of their subjects and achieve well.

Reading is prioritised. Phonics is taught effectively.

Staff make sure pupils know and remember their sounds. Books pupils read match the sounds with which they are confident. This means early readers quickly learn to read with fluency.

This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils in key stage 2 develop their vocabulary and understanding of texts. Consequently, they enjoy the books they read and develop a love for reading.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to learn what they need to be successful. Pupils with SEND get the help they require to access the curriculum. Leaders identify these pupils' needs carefully and accurately.

While this is the case, the help pupils with SEND receive for their learning is sometimes not as precise as it should be. On occasion, staff are not fully clear what the best support is for these pupils. This means that pupils with SEND do not always do as well as they might.

There is a well-considered behaviour policy. Staff and pupils follow this consistently. The school deals with the underlying causes of any misbehaviour.

Pupils who struggle with aspects of behaviour, such as attendance, get the help they need to improve. As a result, incidents of poor behaviour are rare, and learning happens without interruption.

There is an appropriate curriculum for personal development.

In personal, social and health education (PSHE), pupils learn important content, such as the rule of law. They remember learning about topics such as road safety and 'bikeability'. However, the way PSHE is delivered does not help them make rich connections with some of their prior learning.

Pupils have thoughtful views about areas such as considering pupils with different identities. However, they do not develop the depth of understanding they should.

Governors and the trust know the school well.

They check regularly on safeguarding. The trust monitors provision closely, providing challenge where appropriate. Where the school needs support, such as curriculum training for staff, this is provided and is effective.

Governors ensure that staff well-being is carefully considered.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some cases, the support for pupils with SEND is not planned and communicated to staff as clearly as it should be.

This means that some pupils with SEND do not do as well as they otherwise might. The school needs to ensure that the support for SEND is precisely planned and that staff get the training they need to give these pupils the best possible support. The school should monitor this work to ensure it is effective.

The PSHE programme is not always delivered in a way that helps pupils make the rich connections they should with the different strands of their learning. This means that, although pupils remember what they learn, they do not develop the deep understanding they could. The school needs to ensure that the PSHE programme is taught so that it helps pupils explore in depth the connections to their prior and future learning.