Shocklach Oviatt CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Shocklach Oviatt CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Shocklach Oviatt is a friendly and inclusive school. Staff have high expectations of pupils and constantly encourage them to live the school's Christian values in their words and actions. Pupils behave well.

They are safe and well looked after in school. They told us that bullying is rare and that, if it does occur, it is dealt with quickly and effectively.

Pupils particularly enjoy the wide range of sporting activities and clubs that are available to them.

These include gardening, netball, gymnastics and art. Older pupils enjoy the opportunities that they ar...e given to learn a musical instrument. They can choose from a wide range of instruments, including piano, violin, guitar and drums.

Pupils enjoy the lessons that take place in the beautiful school grounds. They also enjoy learning from the many organisations that visit the school. Recent speakers have helped to develop pupils' understanding of topics such as food banks, refugees and ecology issues.

Parents, carers and staff are highly supportive of school leaders. One parent summed up the views of many when she described Shocklach Oviatt as 'a small school that punches well above its weight'.

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

Leaders have worked effectively with staff and governors to develop a broad curriculum which puts pupils at the heart of learning.

The teaching of reading is a particular strength. From their first days in school, children begin to learn about how reading works. Effective teaching helps them to develop good phonics knowledge.

Staff select books carefully to ensure that children can practise their reading at home with books that match the sounds they are learning. As pupils move through school, staff use class novels to introduce pupils to new authors and different types of books. Pupils make strong gains in their reading skills and achieve well by the end of key stage 2.

The pupils who met with us to discuss reading read widely and often.

The curriculum plans for mathematics are detailed and clearly identify the order in which pupils need to learn key concepts and content. Pupils enjoy mathematics and work hard in lessons, developing strong calculation skills.

The work that we saw in books showed that current pupils' learning develops well as they move through the mathematics curriculum. However, in key stage 2, teachers sometimes fail to use what they know about pupils' prior knowledge. This means that pupils are not able to build on what they can already do.

Pupils learn well in geography. The curriculum is well structured and this helps pupils to develop their geographical knowledge and skills effectively. Careful planning and effective teaching ensure that pupils can link their learning to what they have learned previously.

For example, pupils who had recently studied volcanoes knew exactly where they are located due to previous work which developed their map skills. These pupils had also developed key vocabulary well. They were able to explain to us the difference between dormant and extinct volcanoes.

Staff are proud to work at the school and say that leaders do all they can to ensure that their workload is manageable. Staff said that they are well supported by school leaders. They appreciate the opportunities they get to develop their teaching expertise.

Pupils are keen learners. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), settle in quickly at the school and make a good start to their education. They behave well in lessons and are keen to respond to teachers' questions.

However, the presentation of their work often fails to match their positive attitudes to learning.

A well-planned early years curriculum ensures that children get off to a good start in their learning, particularly in early reading and mathematics. Children's knowledge and understanding of the world also develop well due to the many well-planned activities that take place, both in the classroom and in the wonderful outdoor environment.

Parents have confidence in the school's staff and leadership team. They appreciate the strong sense of community at the school, the strong pastoral support and the quality of the school's curriculum. One parent wrote on Parent View that the school is 'full of capable and confident children who are developing life skills and fundamental knowledge of the world around them'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils are safe and well looked after in this closely knit school community. Leaders ensure that appropriate checks are made on all adults who work with pupils at the school.

Leaders ensure that any safeguarding issues are recorded promptly and followed up appropriately. Where necessary, school leaders work well with outside agencies to support pupils and make sure that they are kept safe.

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities.

They know what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil's welfare. They receive regular safeguarding training and are kept up to date with any changes to safeguarding policies or procedures.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have planned the mathematics curriculum well.

The plan highlights the sequence of knowledge and skills that pupils need to develop. However, in key stage 2, teachers need to make better use of assessment to sequence pupils' learning so that it builds more effectively on what they already know and can do. .

Most pupils behave well and have excellent attitudes to learning. However, leaders and teachers need to ensure that these positive attitudes are reflected in the way that pupils present their work.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2015.

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