Shefford C.E. Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher sets the highest expectations for all. Leaders and staff are determined to achieve the best for all pupils. Teaching is typically good and the school has improved considerably since the last inspection.

Staff constantly strive to improve. Pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and use it well.

Teachers provide tailored support for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, this small group of pupils achieve well. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive high-quality additional teaching.

This ensures that they make good progress from their startin...g points. The curriculum is broad and balanced. It captures pupils' interest and creates enthusiasm for learning across a range of subjects.

The school successfully promotes British values and pupils' social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. Equality is promoted effectively. The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to understand and respect people's differences.

The attention given to pupils' welfare and personal development is a strength of the school. Parents and families value the wrap-around care that school staff provide. Children in the early years make good progress.

The early years leader ensures that staff use their strong knowledge of individual pupils' needs well to plan appropriate next learning steps. Pupils' behaviour is good because staff have high expectations of them. Mostly, they conduct themselves well in class and at play.

Middle leaders and governors have benefited from training and made important changes to the way they work. However, not all leaders and governors are able to demonstrate the impact of their work on pupils' achievement. The most able pupils achieve well.

Nevertheless, leaders rightly recognise that they can increase the proportion of pupils that reach the higher standards across the curriculum. Teaching assistants play an important part in helping pupils learn, although the support they provide is not consistently of high quality across the team.

Information about this school

Shefford is a small school that is well below the average size of a primary school.

The school is part of a hard federation with Chaddleworth St Andrew's Church of England Primary School. Both schools share the same headteacher, staff and governing body. In April 2016, both schools moved onto the same school site and began working fully as one school.

Almost all pupils are White British. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and an education, health and care plan is below the national average.

The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is below the national average. In all year groups, there are very few pupils. In some year groups there is only one or two pupils.

This means that is not possible to report on the achievement of some groups of pupils without identifying individuals. In 2016, there were too few pupils in Year 6 to report on the government's floor standards which set the minimum standards for the progress and attainment of pupils. The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.