Collingtree Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Collingtree Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The executive headteacher of this school is Rebecca Osborne.

The head of school is Nicola Stutters. This school is part of Peterborough Diocese Education Trust (PDET), which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Ruth Walker-Green, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Michael Julian Scarborough.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small, truly inclusive school. Pupils and parents say it is 'like a family'. They a...ppreciate the close relationships, and the care and support needed to thrive.

Pupils are happy and safe here. This is because there are always staff for pupils to speak with if they have a problem. The environment is calm and conducive to learning.

Pupils work hard in lessons and enjoy their playtimes together, in the beautiful and extensive grounds.

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. It supports all pupils to learn and remember more over time.

Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. This is reflected in their achievements, including in outcomes for reading, writing and mathematics.

A range of clubs and after-school provision is available, including sports, gymnastics, dance and wraparound care.

A range of experiences also enriches learning for pupils. For example, a visiting theatre production provided information to older pupils about how to keep safe, by being accompanied and letting people know their whereabouts.

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

The school has an ambitious, well-designed curriculum that matches expectations nationally.

Leaders have carefully considered curriculum content and the order in which this is taught. This means that pupils secure the prior knowledge they need to access future learning. For example, in mathematics, Year 2 pupils learn about measuring length in centimetres.

Year 3 pupils build on this learning with measuring in centimetres and millimetres.

The school has prioritised pupils' early reading. Staff training and consistent teaching of the school's chosen phonics curriculum ensure that pupils get the help they need to become accurate readers, who achieve well.

Pupils practise their reading each day. This means they are well placed to tackle more complex texts as they move through the school.

Training for staff within the school, and through the multi-academy trust, ensures that the curriculum is taught with precision.

The use of assessment to check pupils' learning has recently been further developed and adapted. There is now an agreed approach for how teachers check for understanding in subjects other than English and mathematics. This work is still in its infancy and not fully embedded.

Although pupils speak positively about how this is starting to help them, there remain times when misconceptions are not identified and addressed swiftly, and so persist.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the help they need to access the curriculum. Effective deployment of staff, use of resources and carefully designed intervention programmes help to ensure that these pupils achieve well from their different starting points.

High expectations and embedded systems help to ensure behaviour in lessons and around the school is positive. Pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour get the help they need. Pupils cooperate well together and learn to resolve conflicts in a calm way.

This contributes to the kind and considerate behaviour of pupils outside at playtimes. Leaders check attendance closely and work well with families for whom this is an issue. As a result, there has been a reduction in pupil absence.

The school is committed to every pupil having what they need to be successful. This is interwoven with the wider offer that supports pupils' personal development. For example, the curriculum is designed to teach pupils about maintaining their own well-being as well as understanding the importance of values, such as democracy and respect.

These ideas are further developed through the school's daily worship. Pupils are helped to understand the importance of staying safe, including when online. The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities, for example, as school and 'eco' councillors.

Pupils know that they are valued and respected and that their views are considered.

Trustees and leaders have clear, robust and effective systems in place for checking the impact of their work. This provides them with the oversight they need to continue to drive improvements.

Staff are effusive in their praise about the support they receive to manage their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The recently adapted approach to using assessment to check pupils' understanding in subjects other than English and mathematics is not fully embedded.

As a result, misconceptions and gaps in pupils' knowledge are sometimes missed. This makes it more difficult for these pupils to make links in their learning and secure new ideas based on what they already know. The school should ensure these new assessment procedures enable pupils to secure key knowledge and deepen their understanding.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2020.

Also at this postcode