Offord Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at Offord Primary School. They learn to recognise and handle different emotions and feelings.

They care about each other's well-being. Older pupils support younger ones. Pupils treat each other with tolerance and respect.

Pupils who experience any anxiety or worries are supported to feel at ease. They quickly build their confidence to form friendships. They get lots of opportunities to be at the heart of the local community.

This includes participating in the village fete which takes place at the school.

Pupils want to learn. They behave considerately in lessons and around the school.

The foundations of this are built i...n early years.

The school motto of be ready to learn, speak up if there is a problem, be engaged and be respectful captures perfectly how pupils are.

Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum.

They get the support they need to be included. They make strong progress particularly in writing and mathematics, so that they attain in line with pupils nationally by the time they leave.

Pupils have a wealth of wider opportunities that bring learning to life.

This includes visits to science labs, theatre trips and visiting experts who have taught them about making a healthy smoothie.

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

Leaders have worked, highly effectively, to completely redevelop the curriculum. This has been carefully designed around mixed-age classes.

School leaders have worked with trust subject experts to ensure that important knowledge is identified and built over time. For example, in computing, teachers revisit programming knowledge from previous years. Teachers ensure pupils connect, retain and build upon this knowledge as they progress through the school.

Consequently, across all subjects, pupils are prepared well for secondary school.

Teachers are skilled at spotting pupils' misconceptions. They support pupils in addressing these.

For example, in mathematics, teachers model different methods for solving problems and then check that pupils can apply these successfully, before moving on. This ensures pupils secure knowledge well.

The school has ensured that phonics is now taught effectively.

This begins from the start of early years. As a result, pupils use phonics to learn to read well. Those pupils that need it get more specialised support that helps them to catch up.

The library is at the heart of the school. Pupils use it regularly. They talk with enthusiasm about what they read.

Pupils' love of reading is further inspired by authors' visits and workshops.

Pupils learn the intended curriculum well. However, in the lower school there is too much variation in the quality and depth of their writing.

Older pupils spend time catching up, rather than developing their writing further because their early foundations are not secure enough.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive carefully tailored support. This ensures that pupils with SEND are included and achieve well.

For example, pupils with social and communication needs are supported so that they have the confidence to engage in classroom discussion. This ensures they do not miss out.

Right from the start in early years, children learn to share, take turns and develop their communication skills.

They learn to understand the world through a range of interesting and engaging activities, both indoors and outside. They play happily together in the forest school and respect each other's feelings. This forms the foundation for the respectful and tolerant way pupils behave across the school.

Pupils have an exceptional range of personal development opportunities. These extend well beyond the school and village. They hugely enrich the curriculum and bring learning to life.

For example, to learn about democracy, pupils take part in workshops at the Houses of Parliament. There is an extensive range of clubs, festivals and competitive sporting opportunities. For example, as part of 'young voices club' pupils recently performed in Birmingham.

Pupils actively learn about community and citizenship through being at the heart of the village community.

Leaders have transformed provision since the inspection of the predecessor school. The trust has ensured school leaders have been supported effectively to be able to do this.

Innovative governance arrangements, such as the West Village Partnership, have enabled small schools to come together, to share and combine expertise, both at a school and governance level. This has ensured that governors challenge and support in a highly effective way. Staff at all levels have been able to use shared expertise to accelerate improvement.

Staff are highly positive about support for their well-being. They have benefited extensively from the comprehensive range of development and training opportunities that help them develop their teaching and provide a good quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff do not always ensure that pupils have enough opportunities to produce high-quality writing. As a result, the quality of writing that pupils produce, in the lower school, is too variable and can lack sufficient depth. The school should ensure that all staff provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to develop the quality and depth of their writing, so that pupils' writing is of a consistently high standard.

Also at this postcode