Burwell Village College (Primary)

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 March 2024

Pupils are proud to attend this happy school. The school makes everyone feel welcome. Caring staff build strong, positive and supportive relationships with pupils, including children in the early years. This helps pupils to feel safe and secure in school. The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils' behaviour is a strength of the school. They are respectful, considerate and polite. Lessons are rarely disrupted, and pupils maintain their positive behaviour during playtimes and lunchtimes. Pupils have many enrichment opportunities. Trips to places of interest, including the Fitzwilliam Museum, help pupils engage with their learning and bring the curriculum to life. Pupils appreciate the opportunity to take on leadership roles, such as being a house captain or play leader. They are keen to attend the clubs on offer, such as sewing, yoga and mindfulness. Pupils are developing their understanding of difference and inclusion through the carefully selected texts they meet in the 'Burwell Bookshelf'. They build their confidence and leadership skills through 'culture capital' projects. For example, pupils create a business in the 'fiver challenge' and donate profits to local charities. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not routinely have a secure enough oversight of what pupils have learned before, and subsequently, they do not routinely have a secure enough oversight of what pupils need to learn next. Although pupils make progress in these subjects, they are not as confident when applying what they know to new learning. The school should continue to review how the curriculum is arranged, to ensure that pupils can apply what they know to future learning.
• A small number of pupils in key stage 1 and 2 are not routinely given books that help them to build reading fluency effectively. This means they spend too much time breaking down individual words, which limits their flow and confidence when reading books. The school must ensure that all pupils read books that support accurate and fluent word reading, using the knowledge of phonics sounds with which they are secure.

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