Cottenham Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 May 2023

Pupils flourish at this school. They develop exemplary attitudes. Pupils regularly support their peers, for example all Year 6 pupils mentor a child in the early years. This helps children settle successfully into school. This also develops responsibility in older pupils. Pupils have high levels of respect for their peers and adults. They are exceptionally polite. Bullying is very rare. Any concerns get sorted quickly, such as by the peer mediators, who resolve any friendship issues. Pupils learn in depth about risk and safety. They describe clearly what they know about road safety, and the dangers and benefits of climbing trees. As a result, pupils feel safe, and develop high levels of resilience. Behaviour is excellent. Pupils embody the high expectations for learning and conduct. They take considerable pride in their learning. There is almost no disruption to lessons. During breaktimes, pupils in all year groups play happily and safely together. Children in early years quickly learn to regulate their behaviour. Pupils enjoy a rich range of opportunities. Pupils initiate and lead well-attended clubs, such as for art and chess. They achieve well at sport and win county competitions. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

What the school should improve

• Leaders and teachers do not always use information from what they learn through their assessments to adapt their teaching in order to address gaps in pupils' knowledge. This means that in these instances pupils do not develop as detailed knowledge as they might. Leaders need to make sure that they use information from checks on pupils' progress throughout the curriculum to adapt the next learning, so that it builds precisely on what pupils currently know and understand.
• Teachers do not always support pupils with SEND to learn effectively. Sometimes, teachers set targets that are too broad. Adaptations that teachers make do not always address pupils' specific needs. This means that pupils do not build up their knowledge and understanding as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that teachers and staff are trained to support pupils with SEND effectively across all subjects.

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