Grendon Underwood Combined School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
144
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Community school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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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
01296 395000 / 0845 3708090

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
(01/02/2024)
Full Report - All Reports
57%
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)
Main Street
Grendon Underwood
Aylesbury
HP18 0SP
01296770388

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Typically, pupils behave well, enjoy learning and make good progress. The school is a happy, caring place. Pupils look out for one another and know to treat others with respect, regardless of background or other difference. Leaders have worked effectively to address areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Teaching of writing, including spelling, has improved. Typically, the most able pupils are provided with work of suitable challenge. Teaching in science has become a strength of the school. Leaders have also worked effectively to improve provision in early years. Leaders’ success in securing these improvements makes them well placed to tackle some remaining variability in the quality of teaching. Rightly, leaders have identified the development of reasoning and problem-solving in mathematics in key stage 1 as a key area for further attention. The headteacher left at the end of the spring term. An interim headteacher (a headteacher of another local school) is working with you for two days a week. Together with other senior leaders you are successfully steering the school through a potentially unsettling period. You have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Rightly, you are continuing to initiate improvements. This is helping ensure the school is in a good position for when the new headteacher takes up post in September. Leaders know that communication with parents needed further attention. A few parents reported dissatisfaction about communication and voiced concerns about the way issues were resolved under the previous headteacher’s leadership. You have been working to rectify the situation. Some previously disgruntled parents are encouraged by the fresh approach. One reported dramatic improvements this term. Other comments such as, ‘we are finally being listened to’ and ‘everyone seems happier’ summed up parents renewed optimism. Nevertheless, a small number of parents are yet to be convinced. You recognise that further work is needed to win the confidence of these parents. Leaders’ and governors’ understanding of the quality of teaching in subjects other than mathematics, English and science is not incisive. They know the curriculum is engaging. However, their knowledge of the extent to which the curriculum enables pupils to make strong progress in every subject is not consistently well developed. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders ensure that pupils are kept safe. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Appropriate checks to ensure the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children are in place. Safeguarding is clearly everyone’s responsibility. Effective training and updates consistently reinforce this message and ensure that all are alert to signs a pupil might be at risk. Staff record and pass on any concerns they have to one of the safeguarding leaders. Leaders keep a close eye on, and meticulously record, support provided for pupils who may be at risk. This includes keeping a ‘watching brief’ over pupils who might be vulnerable, swiftly providing extra support when needed. When engaging with other agencies, such as social services and the family resilience team, leaders work effectively to ensure that pupils and their families receive support that reduces any risk of harm. Leaders have placed a suitably high focus on ensuring that pupils learn how to stay safe online and in the world around them. Parents have also had the chance to benefit from online safety training. Leaders and governors have made sure that safeguarding arrangements remain tight during a time of changing leadership. This term, you have stepped up successfully to the role of designated safeguarding leader (DSL) from your role as assistant DSL. The acting deputy headteacher has been fully trained and is assisting you effectively with this work. Leaders actively seek ways to improve safeguarding even further. For example, you have minimised the risk of intrusion by tweaking the beginning and end-of-day procedures, and introducing a ‘keep safe’ day in response to feedback from pupils. Pupils are clear the school is a safe place. They are confident they have someone to turn to for support when needed. Older pupils were keen to point out the recently introduced ‘place to talk’ room, where they know they can get help if needed. Weekly ‘helping hands’ group counselling sessions provide further useful support. Inspection findings Pupils’ progress in reading by the end of key stage 2 has improved notably in the last three years. In 2017, the progress of pupils with middle starting points was high. School information points to similar outcomes this summer. Pupils’ progress in writing and spelling at key stage 2 has also improved. Leaders introduced a new approach to teaching writing two years ago. This, along with a much higher focus on encouraging pupils to review and edit their work, has played a key part in raising achievement. School information and work in pupils’ books shows that pupils, including the most able, typically tackle work of suitable challenge and make good progress. A notably higher proportion of pupils achieved a high standard in the end-ofkey-stage-2 teacher assessments this summer than last year. The proportion of pupils reaching and exceeding the expected standard in the end-of-keystage-2 grammar, punctuation and spelling tests has improved markedly. In 2016, outcomes were notably below those seen nationally. In 2017, outcomes were high. School information shows similarly positive outcomes this summer. Leaders have also focused successfully on improving children’s progress in reading and writing in the early years. In the last two years, the proportion of children exceeding the expected standard in these areas of development declined considerably, having previously been high. Leaders of early years, one of whom joined the school last autumn, introduced a more coherent approach to teaching phonics and writing in Nursery and Reception. As a result, the most able children are now more suitably stretched. A notably increased proportion of children in Reception exceeded the early learning goals in reading and writing this year. Leaders recognise that teaching in mathematics at key stage 1 needs further attention. Typically, pupils make suitable progress in carrying out mathematical operations. However, pupils do not consistently have opportunities to develop their mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Consequently, pupils are not deepening their mathematical understanding and fluency as well as they could by the end of year 2. Leaders have strengthened teaching in science. Involvement in an external science training and development programme has proved useful. Teachers have good subject knowledge and are increasingly confident in teaching the subject. Pupils learn to work scientifically, making and reflecting on predictions. Harder questions encourage the most able to think more deeply. The science leader routinely monitors the quality of the science curriculum and ensures that it is increasingly effective. Leaders’ monitoring and evaluation of subjects other than English, mathematics and science is not so well developed. As a result, leaders and governors are not in a strong position to identify priorities for improvement in these subjects and address them. This presents a barrier to leaders’ and governors’ ambition to move the school to outstanding. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: teaching of mathematical reasoning and problem-solving at key stage 1 enables pupils to maximise their achievement in mathematics they gain a consistently incisive understanding of the quality of teaching in all subjects, so they can secure outstanding achievement across the curriculum communication with parents continues to improve so all are consistently confident that their concerns are dealt with effectively.

Grendon Underwood Combined School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>74, "agree"=>24, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>78, "agree"=>20, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>52, "agree"=>37, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
My Child Has Not Been Bullied Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>76, "strongly_agree"=>4, "agree"=>9, "disagree"=>7, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>48, "agree"=>48, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>24, "strongly_agree"=>35, "agree"=>33, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>42, "agree"=>33, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>17, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 12 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>41, "agree"=>46, "disagree"=>7, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>7} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>52, "agree"=>39, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>43, "agree"=>41, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>57, "agree"=>41, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>65, "agree"=>28, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>43, "agree"=>39, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024
Yes No {"yes"=>91, "no"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 46 responses up to 01-02-2024

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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