Winchcombe Abbey Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Winchcombe Abbey is a school where everyone is welcome and accepted. Committed staff make learning purposeful and interesting so that pupils thrive and achieve highly. This is especially true in the early years.

Children flourish thanks to the aspirational curriculum and expert teaching.

The school is a safe and harmonious place to learn. Pupils need few reminders about how to behave.

They work hard in lessons, listen attentively and cooperate with their classmates. Staff are kind and patient. This gives pupils the confidence to talk about any worries or concerns they might have.

Staff encourage pupils to develop key character traits through the scho...ol's values. These underpin all aspects of school life. For example, pupils show respect for people's differences and compassion by caring for others.

The curriculum offers a wealth of opportunities to broaden pupils' understanding of the world around them. These include a residential trip to London, work with local charities and visits to different places of worship. Pupils develop responsibility as play leaders and members of the school parliament.

They maturely explain that 'even though we are young, we matter and make a difference'.

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

Reading is at the centre of the curriculum. Staff choose books to build pupils' vocabulary and enhance learning in other subjects.

For example, pupils in Year 6 build empathy and humility through the books they study about World War Two. They confidently explain the meaning of words such as 'persecution'. Older pupils enthuse about discussing books at the avid readers club.

Over time, pupils become skilled and confident readers.

From the start of school, children quickly learn to read. Well-trained staff teach the phonics programme with precision.

The school has invested in new books that closely match the sounds that pupils know and need to practise. This gives pupils the confidence to use their phonic knowledge to read unknown words. Staff are determined that no pupil is left to fall behind when learning to read.

The school is relentless and reflective in its drive for excellence. The curriculum has improved since the previous inspection. All subjects set out the knowledge, skills and vocabulary pupils need to learn.

Within established subjects, pupils can connect new learning to what they already know. For example, pupils use their knowledge of locations to compare mountains in different parts of the world. In mathematics, children in Reception Year display proficiency in counting and solving calculations.

Improvements to the curriculum in a few subjects, such as music and Spanish, are newer and need time to embed. Therefore, some groups of pupils do not have the same depth of knowledge in these subjects as others.

Teachers assess what pupils understand regularly and accurately.

They recap important knowledge at the start of lessons. However, the system for checking what needs to be revisited in the long term is still being refined. As a result, some misconceptions are not identified or acted upon swiftly enough.

Staff demonstrate secure subject knowledge. They present information clearly to pupils. For example, they use visual resources and ask probing questions to make pupils think deeply.

Staff adapt the curriculum so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can learn alongside their peers. Pupils with SEND receive a wide range of support and have their needs identified early. Trained staff provide pupils with extra pastoral support to help overcome barriers to learning.

The provision for early years is impressive. Whether counting in Spanish or learning outdoors, staff expertly guide children to deepen and extend their understanding. Children become engrossed in their learning tasks, which capture their interests and feed their curiosity.

Throughout the whole school, pupils display positive attitudes towards their learning.

The curriculum supports pupils' personal development well. Pupils learn to embrace people's differences.

Visits from the police help pupils learn how to behave online. The school expects pupils to treat others as they want to be treated and stand up for what they know is right. Pupils get to debate and discuss wider issues, such as stereotypes in the media.

All of this helps them grow into well-rounded young citizens.

Governors and trust leaders strike the right balance of challenge and support to improve the school. They know what questions to ask to check the impact of actions taken.

Staff feel valued and appreciate leaders' efforts to support their workload. While a minority of parents would like to see better communication, most have a favourable view of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Improvements to the curriculum in a few subjects are more recent and need time to fully embed. As a result, some groups of pupils do not have the same depth of knowledge in these subjects as others. The trust and the school should continue to embed the changes that have been made to the curriculum so that pupils secure important knowledge in all subjects.

• In some of the wider curriculum subjects, the school is in the process of refining the checks on pupils' knowledge retention. This means that some misconceptions are not identified or acted upon swiftly enough. The trust and the school should ensure that checks on pupils' knowledge identify areas of learning that need to be revisited to help pupils remember more in the long term.

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