Cumnor Church of England School (Voluntary Controlled)

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 November 2022

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming and caring school. They are encouraged to 'love others as you love yourselves', and they certainly do. There are warm and supportive relationships between staff and pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe. All staff have high expectations for pupils' learning and behaviour. Pupils behave well in class and around the school. Bullying is rare. Pupils know that adults are always on hand to help should they need them or if there are any instances of unkindness. Pupils talk with great enthusiasm about the many opportunities they have outside the classroom, such as the Year 5 residential and trip to see 'Matilda the Musical'. Adults make great use of the local environment to bring learning to life, such as visits to the local church and exploring the surrounding countryside. These experiences help pupils to connect their learning with the wider world. Staff morale is high and there is a strong sense of teamwork across the school. Parents and carers are positive about the school. One parent said, 'It is a brilliant school and all the staff there work so hard to keep it running to a high standard.'

What the school should improve

• In a minority of subjects, leaders have not identified precisely what subject content and vocabulary pupils need to learn and in what order. While the ambition of the national curriculum is covered, the curriculum is not fully supporting pupils to develop an in- depth understanding of some concepts so that they achieve as well as they could. Leaders should make clear what knowledge and vocabulary needs to be prioritised and establish exactly when this knowledge should be taught and recapped.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)