The Elms Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
428
AGES
3 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
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SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
01865 815175

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(08/03/2018)
Full Report - All Reports
63%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
The Elms
Gloucester Street
Faringdon
SN7 7HZ
01367240232

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment in September 2017 you have quickly built the trust, respect and support of staff, parents and carers. Prior to your arrival, there had been a period of instability and parents’ confidence in the school and staff morale had waned. Your strong, resilient leadership and clear direction have quickly united the school community and you have won hearts and minds. You have managed the very significant challenges presented by the building issues. Other leaders and staff at the school now feel energised and relish the opportunity to play their role in the school’s development. Staff and parents speak highly of your leadership, your calm, measured approach and way you nurture all members of the school. As one parent explained, ‘The new headteacher is brilliant. She has been a breath of fresh air.’ The school is a happy community. Pupils behave well in class and around the school. They are polite and respectful and speak confidently to visitors, enthusiastically talking about their work. They describe their school as friendly and appreciate the way that their teachers support and help them to learn. Pupils enjoy learning a wide range of subjects and particularly like reading. They value the way that their teachers considered their views when reshaping the new curriculum. In 2017, at the end of key stage 2, a higher-than-average proportion of pupils attained the expected standards. Attainment was particularly high and well above average in grammar, punctuation and spelling, writing and mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils also attained highly and, in some subjects, they attained higher standards than other pupils. Current pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, continue to make good progress. Leaders have maintained the strengths from the previous inspection and effectively tackled the areas for improvement. Teaching is continuing to improve and there is some exemplary practice and inspirational teaching in the school. Disadvantaged pupils are suitably supported and attain as well as other pupils in writing. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ learning and help them to stay focused on their work. In 2017, the proportion of pupils that attained the higher standards in mathematics at the end of key stage 2 was broadly average. However, we agreed that currently there are too few opportunities for all pupils to develop their reasoning skills and apply their skills by solving problems. You have wisely prioritised the need to stabilise the school and develop leadership capacity and skills to help you drive further improvement. You, and other leaders, have already introduced many positive changes, including a new approach to reading and new assessment systems. You have also redesigned and invigorated the curriculum. However, you acknowledge that pupils’ work in most subjects beyond English and mathematics does not yet reveal learning at depth. You, and other leaders, keep careful track of the results of pupils’ assessments. However, you recognise that leaders have not carried out timely, regular reviews of pupils’ work in books. As a result, some work of poor quality has not been picked up or addressed sufficiently by leaders. We also agreed that in a few classes, teachers do not have high enough expectations of the presentation and quality of pupils’ written work. Safeguarding is effective. Children’s well-being and care are at the heart of the school’s work. Staff know pupils and their families very well and are alert to any changes in pupils’ behaviour or demeanour. Leaders and other staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures. They take prompt action to ensure that pupils are kept safe and, when needed, refer concerns on swiftly to relevant agencies. Leaders work with a wide range of different outside organisations, including health professionals, to keep pupils safe. They have detailed, comprehensive records which help them to keep careful oversight of all safeguarding matters. The dedicated leader for pastoral care is often the first point of contact for families and she makes a strong contribution to the support for pupils’ well-being. Pupils value the way the pastoral leader and other staff are always available if they need to talk through any worries. Pupils feel safe in school. They say that bullying does occasionally happen and that there are sometimes friendship fallings-out and teasing. However, pupils say that their teachers always support them and resolve these issues quickly. Pupils are knowledgeable about keeping safe online and other aspects of safeguarding such as road safety and ‘stranger danger’. Governors and representatives from the trust visit the school regularly to check safeguarding procedures, including site safety. They have made sure that the current building issues have not compromised the safety of pupils, and that this area of the school is fenced off securely. The vast majority of parents agree that their children feel safe at school and staff are unanimous that pupils are safe at Faringdon. While some parents expressed concern about the difficulties with the building, they recognise that leaders are managing this difficult situation most capably. Inspection findings During this inspection we agreed to focus on aspects of the school’s work including: safeguarding and attendance; how well leaders are sustaining the improvements in pupils’ attainment; the curriculum; and how effectively leaders are using the government’s additional funding to make sure that disadvantaged pupils achieve well. Overall attendance is similar to the national average. In 2017, persistent absence was above average and had risen slightly from the previous year. You have taken the right steps to improve persistent absence. Awards are given to reward pupils’ good attendance and you follow up any absence very promptly. The breakfast club has also contributed to pupils’ improving attendance. You have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and well-judged plans to make sure that pupils’ good attainment is sustained. Subject and phase leaders are increasingly playing a role in school improvement. They work as a united team and share your vision. You are capitalising on the considerable skills and talents within the staff team, drawing upon their expertise. The school’s well-considered new approach to reading is having a very positive impact on pupils’ enjoyment of reading, their understanding of texts and the craft of writing. Improvements have also been made to pupils’ spelling and written calculations in mathematics. Nevertheless, you acknowledge that pupils do not have enough opportunity to solve problems and develop their reasoning skills. Staff benefit from the support of the trust. This includes attending training and sharing expertise with colleagues. Leaders from the school and the trust carry out regular health-checks and monitor the outcomes of pupils’ assessments. However, you are aware that currently there is insufficient monitoring of pupils’ work in books. Since your appointment, you and other leaders have wasted no time in getting to grips with reshaping the curriculum. You have harnessed the interests, skills and enthusiasm of staff and taken into account pupils’ views. The revised curriculum sets out clearly the learning objectives and topic themes for each year group and subject. As a result, the curriculum has been strengthened and enriched, and ensures that pupils’ experiences build upon previous learning. Pupils now have more opportunities to learn through practical experiments in science, and links between subjects have made learning more meaningful. For example, pupils’ strong learning about the Second World War has inspired their writing in English. During our visits to classes, we saw examples of high-quality and emotive writing reflecting pupils’ good learning in history. One pupil wrote, ‘As we arrived at the trenches, the copper stench of blood struck me like a fist to the face.’ However, this high-quality work is not seen consistently across the school. In most subjects other than English and mathematics, pupils’ work typically lacks depth as many tasks do not provide enough challenge.

The Elms Primary School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>61, "agree"=>29, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>76, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>39, "agree"=>45, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>5} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>63, "agree"=>26, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>26, "agree"=>53, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>8} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>32, "agree"=>47, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>11, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>53, "agree"=>32, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>5} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>45, "agree"=>29, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>8, "dont_know"=>16} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>61, "agree"=>26, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>47, "agree"=>34, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>8, "dont_know"=>5} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>18, "agree"=>55, "disagree"=>16, "strongly_disagree"=>8, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018
Yes No {"yes"=>82, "no"=>18} UNLOCK Figures based on 38 responses up to 13-03-2018

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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