Codicote Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are hugely enthusiastic about their school. They are rightly proud of their achievements and how well everyone gets along.

The school goes above and beyond to support pupils' well-being and build positive relationships. Pupils here are happy, safe and ready to learn.

Pupils enjoy learning and know staff want them to succeed.

Pupils are motivated to come to school and so attendance is high. The dedicated staff team supports pupils well in lessons. This is particularly the case in reading, writing and mathematics.

Due to the school's high expectations, most pupils achieve well in these subjects in national assessments, in readiness for secondary... school.

The school ensures that all pupils are welcome and that they participate fully in all aspects of school life. Pupils know their ideas are listened to, including in early years.

They relish contributing to decisions about their school. Pupils are treated equally and fairly. This fosters very high levels of mutual respect.

Pupils make firm friendships. Older pupils are excellent role models for behaviour.

There is a plethora of wider opportunities for everyone, from learning musical instruments to accessing different sports and clubs and being in the choir.

Pupils develop strong leadership skills through manning the office, looking after the school pets or being on the school council or eco-council.

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

The school is successfully navigating a period of expansion. Leaders have been highly proactive in adapting to the changing needs of pupils at the school.

Pupils new to the school settle very quickly. The school has also pioneered a bespoke approach to identifying and then filling gaps in pupils' resilience, confidence and self-esteem. As a result, behaviour has remained exemplary in every year group.

The school's curriculum is well thought out from early years upwards. Staff know what to teach and in what order. Misconceptions are addressed.

Pupils produce high-quality work in reading, writing and mathematics.

Across other subjects, pupils also recall key curriculum content. Older pupils are starting to make connections in their learning based on what they already know.

However, there are some inconsistencies in how ambitious the work set in some of these other subjects is. This limits how well pupils have their knowledge deepened and extended so that they can achieve as highly as they are capable of.

Reading is prioritised.

In Nursery, children understand how to identify sounds they hear. From Reception onwards, children follow a clearly structured reading programme. They soon know enough sounds to be able to read words fluently and independently, ready for Year 1.

Anyone who struggles is quickly supported to catch up. Pupils across the school read books that match their reading ability. Pupils of all ages enjoy reading.

They are exposed to rich and ambitious vocabulary from a range of diverse texts.

Children get off to a positive start in early years. Their ability to listen and take turns is impressive for their age.

Children access learning opportunities that develop their creativity and knowledge of the world around them. They use new vocabulary well. They can articulate their understanding clearly and are suitably prepared for Year 1.

Children apply reading, writing and mathematical skills in their play. However, there are sometimes missed opportunities to extend their learning even further.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs accurately identified.

The school actions external advice so that pupils with SEND participate fully in school life. Leaders ensure that in-school experts support pupils' speech and language needs well. Most pupils with SEND achieve well from their starting points.

However, for a few pupils, their targets are not aligned precisely enough to meet their specific needs. This limits how quickly staff address gaps in these pupils' learning.

Pupils are taught to celebrate and respect differences, preparing them well for life in a diverse society.

They know discrimination is wrong. This means that unkindness is rare and not tolerated by pupils or staff. Pupils trust adults to help them.

Very few pupils have time off school. The school takes swift and decisive action if pupils' absence becomes a concern.

The school's personal development programme is precisely aligned and adapted to the needs of the pupils.

It firmly develops pupils' ability to problem-solve, persevere and have high levels of empathy. Pupils use this to take ownership for how to improve the school or lives of others. They actively research which causes to champion.

They use democratic approaches to vote for their ideas.

Leaders and governors care deeply about the school. They are committed to the school's vision of 'everyone shall have success'.

They fulfil their statutory and safeguarding duties well. Staff appreciate the care taken for their well-being and know they are valued.

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 foundation subjects, there are some inconsistencies in the level of detailed knowledge pupils are learning. Therefore, some pupils are not securing the in-depth knowledge in these subjects that they are capable of. The school needs to ensure that work set is consistently ambitious in these subjects and that leaders, including governors, check robustly that pupils can demonstrate a depth of understanding in these foundation subjects so they excel.

For a few pupils with SEND, their targets are not precisely matched to meet their needs. This limits how well these pupils are overcoming their specific barriers to learning. The school needs to strengthen further its understanding of the most effective strategies to support these pupils and then to check that these specific approaches are suitably ambitious and having the desired impact.

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