Combs Ford Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

At Combs Ford, pupils are happy. At breaktimes, they enjoy activities such as choosing books from the reading shed. Pupil play leaders kindly support younger children to play various sporting games.

Pupils are confident that staff will listen to them and help them sort any issues out. This helps pupils to keep safe.

Staff have high expectations for behaviour.

Pupils meet these by following the 'Rainbow Rules'. Pupils who need extra help to manage their emotions receive effective support. Staff support pupils to use the 'quiet club' at lunchtimes.

This is a calming space for pupils to reflect and talk about their feelings.

Pupils have experie...nced some recent improvements to their learning. For example, they now study a full range of subjects and benefit from a consistent approach to learning to read.

However, all of this is relatively new. The changes are not yet fully embedded. Consequently, not all pupils achieve as well as they could.

There are many opportunities for pupils to pursue their interests. Pupils who are part of the school council worked with a local charity to get a 'buddy bench' for their school playground. Eco-councillors undertake litter picks.

These support their learning about being responsible citizens.

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

There have been recent significant changes to leadership and staffing. Therefore, the curriculum has not been developed or delivered as well as it should.

Consequently, pupils have developed gaps in their knowledge and understanding and outcomes in some of the 2024 national tests and assessments were low.

The trust has set about addressing these issues effectively. For example, it has ensured that a suitable curriculum is now in place and has started training newly appointed subject leaders.

This has enabled them to improve teachers' subject knowledge. Although the quality of education is improving, many positive changes are relatively new and are not yet fully embedded. The school has not yet ensured that pupils can build upon important knowledge.

The school has an effective approach to teaching early reading and phonics. Staff are well trained to deliver the school's chosen programme. Children confidently articulate sounds and blend them together to read simple and then more complex words.

They practise reading with books that match the sounds they know. If pupils fall behind with their reading, there is effective and appropriate help to ensure they can catch up with their peers. Many pupils become confident and fluent readers.

However, for pupils in the early stages of writing, teachers do not routinely correct simple letter formation and spelling errors. As a result, gaps in pupils' knowledge grow. This hinders their progression through the writing curriculum as they move through the school.

Children in the early years benefit from a well-planned and sequenced curriculum. Staff provide a broad range of appropriate activities that cover all the required areas of learning. Children are supported effectively to practise their sounds, letters and numbers through a wide variety of both teacher-led and self-chosen tasks.

Highly skilled staff swiftly correct any misconceptions. Children show self-determination in their learning, for example when transferring water into various containers, comparing which holds more or less liquid. They are prepared for Year 1.

The school has enabled pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the curriculum effectively. This is because staff are aware of pupils' individual needs. They cater for these needs by adapting learning well.

For example, through providing extra resources or adult support. Consequently, pupils with SEND progress well from their various starting points.

The school actively supports pupils' regular attendance.

When pupils do not attend regularly, the school works effectively with parents to support a return to school. Pupils behave well during lessons and unstructured times. They are polite and kind to adults and their peers.

The school's personal development provision is strong. Pupils demonstrate the school's 'Rainbow Values' throughout the school day. Pupil 'rights rangers' are appointed from each class.

They work to ensure that these values are consistently upheld. For example, they recently wrote a set of lunchtime rules to ensure the value of respect was supported at lunchtimes. Pupils know that diversity should be celebrated.

They benefit from the various trips on offer, such as Year 4 visiting Colchester Castle to support their learning in history and the school choir performing recently at a large choral event. A range of clubs further supports and develops pupils' social development and self-esteem.

The trust, those responsible for governance and school leaders, recognised that the school needed to improve.

They have put in place clear plans to address this while also being considerate of staff's workload and well-being. These plans are showing early signs of positive impact. However, more time is required.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not routinely correct pupils' simple handwriting or spelling mistakes or their writing of the sounds they have been taught in phonics. As a result, gaps in pupils' knowledge grow.

These gaps hinder their progress through the writing curriculum as they move up the school. The school must ensure that systems to correct pupils' errors in handwriting and spelling are consistently applied so that pupils are supported effectively to improve these key skills. ? The school has made many recent improvements to several subjects, although these improvements are yet to be fully embedded.

The trust has not yet ensured that all staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver these newly agreed strategies. Consequently, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and struggle to build upon prior learning due to inconsistencies in teaching delivery. The school should ensure that all staff effectively and consistently deliver the newly agreed strategies across all subjects and classes.

• There have been significant changes to staffing over the past academic year. This has led to inconsistencies in the delivery and development of the curriculum and low pupil outcomes. The trust, governors and school leaders must ensure that their development of the curriculum is robust, therefore driving effective school improvement strategies to help raise pupil outcomes.

Also at this postcode