Sambourne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Sambourne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Sambourne Road, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 8LF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because:

 The quality of teaching is not yet consistently good because teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough.  Pupils do not always make the progress they are capable of, especially when they do not have enough time for independent work and tasks are not hard enough for more-able pupils.  The poor behaviour of a small number of pupils resulted in an increased number of exclusions during the past academic year.  The initiatives and staffing changes put in place by the school’s leaders and governors have not had sufficient time to lift the school’s overall performance.  Some pupils lose focus when the teaching does not interest them or work is not hard enough.

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The school has the following strengths:

 The headteacher, senior leadership team and governors have secured improvements to the quality of teaching, demonstrating the capacity to continue to improve.  Children make a good start to school life in the Reception class.  The staff are committed to Sambourne and are supportive of each other and work closely together to provide a high standard of pastoral care. The teaching assistants’ contribution is a strength of the school.  The governors and local authority provide good support and direction, working closely with the headteacher and the senior leadership team.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out over two days, with half a day’s notice.  All full-time staff were observed teaching. A total of 10 lessons were seen. This included three joint observations with the headteacher.  The inspector heard pupils from Years 2 and 3 read individually.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of the governing body, subject leaders, the special needs coordinator and members of the school leadership team, and a telephone call was made to the school improvement adviser.  The lead inspector looked at a wide range of school documentation, including the school’s improvement plan and the school’s data for tracking the progress and attainment of individual pupils and specific groups.  The inspector also looked at the work pupils were doing in their books.  Informal discussions with parents took place at the beginning and end of the school day. The 31 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were taken into account. Responses from 17

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Information about this inspection

staff questionnaires were also considered.  During the inspection, pupils’ behaviour was observed, both inside and outside of the classroom, and the school’s safeguarding procedures were scrutinised.  The school’s new Nurture Unit was also visited as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Mark Anderson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Sambourne is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school and is situated on the outskirts of Warminster.  Almost all the pupils at Sambourne come from White British backgrounds.  There are six classes: a combined Reception and Year 1 class, a combined Year 1 and Year 2 class and separate year groups for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. However, in the afternoons the older pupils are organised into a Year 3/4 class, a Year 4/5 class and a Year 6 class.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, children with a parent in the armed services and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is broadly in line the national average. There are currently eight children with parents in the armed services. There are no pupils in local authority care.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs supported at school

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Information about this school

action, school action plus or with statements of special educational needs is in line with the national average.  The school has did not meet the government’s floor standards in 2013, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school has had significant staffing changes during the last academic year. The school has completed an extensive building and refurbishment programme which has greatly enhanced the school site and resources. The second phase of refurbishment is scheduled to be started this term.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it as least good in order to raise pupils’ achievement by: – ensuring that the level of challenge and expectations of the progress pupils can achieve are higher, especially in writing and for the more able pupils – increasing the pace of lessons to keep all pupils engaged and interested – providing pupils with opportunities to learn independently so they do not rely on their teacher all the time – introducing strategies to involve pupils in their own learning in order that they take more responsibility for it.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by: – further developing the roles of middle and subject leaders – continuing to implement a more rigorous approach to monitoring and appraising teachers’ performance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ behaviour and reduce the amount of pupil exclusions by: – continued and more consistent partnership working with parents – introducing effective strategies to reward, encourage and celebrate good behaviour.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable and standards are not high enough by the time they leave the school.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2012 was broadly in line with national averages but fell in 2013 Key Stages 1 and 2. However, results fluctuate because of the relatively small numbers involved. Recent improvements in teaching are now leading to pupils making better progress throughout the school.  Prior to the dip in 2013, the pattern of achievement at Key Stage 2 had shown a clear upward trend and in 2012 the Year 6 pupils achieved the highest results over the last five years.  At the end of the last academic year, pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 reached standards of attainment above national averages in reading and writing, although slightly below in mathematics. Pupils presently in Year 2 are attaining higher levels in comparison to previous

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

years.  Progress in all year groups is now beginning to steadily improve and, as a result, attainment is rising. However, the more able pupils do not always make the progress they are capable of and do not always reach the standards of attainment expected for their ability by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6.  The skills and understanding of children beginning school in the Reception class vary considerably. The great majority of children settle quickly at Sambourne and historically make good progress during their Reception Year.  Pupils are provided with regular opportunities to read in school. The school achieved above the national average in the most recent Year 1 phonics screening check. However, the teaching of phonics is not always reinforced as often as it could be in lessons.  There are some differences in the progress made by groups of pupils. In English and mathematics the attainment of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, although improving, is

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

behind that of other pupils in the school. The impact of interventions is starting to lead to improvement in the achievement of pupils with disabilities or special educational needs and is beginning to narrow the gap between their attainment and that of all other pupils.  Information about how well pupils are doing is regularly collected, although this information needs to be used more systematically by all teachers to check that any pupils who are underachieving are catching up. It also needs to be used to greater effect to set challenging targets for pupils based on an expectation of them making better-than-expected progress, especially in writing.  The parents who responded to the online questionnaire or were spoken to during the inspection consider that their children are making good progress and achieving well throughout the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement and is not yet good enough to achieve consistently good progress in all year groups. Teaching in Key Stage 1 is currently not as strong as in Key Stage 2.  Not all teachers have consistently high enough expectations, particularly of pupils’ handwriting and presentation, and pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and develop their writing skills.  In a number of lessons, too much time is devoted to introductions, which does not leave sufficient time for pupils to grasp new concepts and ideas. In others, introductions are too short. Also, not enough teaching provides pupils with opportunities to undertake independent learning activities.  Activities are not always well matched to the different abilities of pupils. This results in some pupils finding the work too difficult and others finishing tasks quickly when they could tackle more testing work. This affects the rate of progress and the more able pupils lose interest.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff who have joined Sambourne this academic year show much potential and have strengthened the overall quality of teaching in a relatively short space of time. The teamwork and morale of the teachers is very evident and highlights their desire and commitment to work towards every pupil achieving his or her potential.  In many lessons teachers ensure that learning is fun and sharp questioning skills keep most pupils involved. Good examples of this were seen in a Year 5 lesson when pupils acted out a range of similes, including ‘as flat as a pancake’, and a Year 6 lesson on action-packed space adventure stories which really captured pupils’ enthusiasm.  Marking and feedback are also helping pupils to improve their performance. Pupils understand their targets in mathematics and English and get guidance on the next steps in improving their work.  The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is reasonably well integrated across

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

the curriculum and all year groups develop a good level of proficiency in the use of computers.  Teaching assistants and additional staff provide extremely effective support for the class teachers and are particularly effective when leading learning in small groups and when providing support for individual pupils. However, learning is not always well planned enough by the school’s subject leaders for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs to make consistently good progress.  Sambourne provides an extremely high quality of pastoral care and support. Pupils with specific issues are mentored very closely and cared for effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement because levels of exclusion are too high and some pupils lose focus in lessons when teaching fails to capture their imagination.  Pupils clearly enjoy their time at Sambourne. Most pupils show good manners and are polite towards staff, visitors and each other.  There are a small number of pupils with very challenging behaviour. These pupils are very well supported by adults who direct them to make appropriate decisions regarding their behaviour. The school’s new Nurture Unit has already had a strong impact upon the behaviour of these pupils and the life of the school as a whole.  In a small number of lessons, pupils’ attitudes to learning are not as positive as they should be. Some pupils do not settle quickly enough to their set tasks and there are incidences of low-level disruption. These are dealt with effectively by well-trained staff who demonstrate good

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

behaviour management skills and strategies. However, expectations of the overall standard of behaviour are not high enough.  Pupils are extremely well cared for and feel safe at Sambourne. They feel adults will listen if they have a problem or need to confide in someone. They demonstrate a mature understanding of what bullying really is and of how to be aware of different examples of bullying, including physical, emotional and cyber bullying.  Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of a healthy diet and active lifestyle both inside and outside of school.  The Year 6 pupils build very strong relationships with the youngest pupils in Reception through the school’s ‘buddy system’.  Pupils were of the opinion that adults dealt with any instances of inappropriate behaviour effectively. However, the rate of pupil exclusions has increased recently. To a large extent this increase is the result of more children joining Sambourne with significant behavioural issues.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 The systems and logs used to record poor or inappropriate behaviour contain accurate and detailed information.  A positive ethos and learning climate at Sambourne is in the process of becoming embedded and good relationships are seen in all year groups. The staff provide strong and appropriate role models for their pupils. Mutual respect and trust are evident within the school.  The majority of parents who responded to Parent View, the online questionnaire, or who were spoken to expressed a positive opinion regarding behaviour in the school, although a small number considered that the school did not deal decisively with some behavioural issues that arose.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because there is not yet enough evidence of their impact in improving both pupils’ academic achievement and behaviour over time. The standards of academic attainment and behaviour are not currently high enough.  The headteacher and senior leadership team are ambitious for the school’s development and have a good understanding of Sambourne’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. They have brought about significant improvement to the quality of teaching in recent times, although the impact is not yet evident in raised achievement. This demonstrates that the school does have the capacity to improve.  Middle and subject leaders need to be involved more in raising pupils’ achievement and improving the quality of teaching  Currently teachers do not have enough opportunities to observe and share best practice in order to help them improve their teaching. However, recent major changes to the school’s

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The leadership and management require improvement

staffing are beginning to lead to improved standards in teaching and pupil progress.  All staff and the great majority of parents who responded to the online questionnaire or were spoken to consider that the headteacher and senior leaders provide effective leadership and management across all areas of the school. A small minority of parents are unhappy with aspects of the school’s work, including the school’s communication with parents.  Leaders have developed a long-term plan to ensure the sustained improvement of the school over the next few years. This includes measurable targets to help all members of staff and governors judge the success and impact of the planning.  The school’s leadership has overseen a very successful building programme which has enhanced the school’s facilities and resources.  The leadership of teaching is a clear focus and an appropriate performance management system is in place. These findings are used to make decisions regarding teachers’ pay and

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The leadership and management require improvement

internal promotion within the school. Teachers’ performance, appraisal and pay progression are linked together but systems for monitoring and appraising teachers’ practice are not yet rigorous enough.  Safeguarding arrangements comply with statutory regulations. The leadership team identify and respond appropriately to any concerns regarding child welfare.  Sambourne welcomes everybody and discrimination is not tolerated. Every effort is made to provide effective support for all groups of pupils and every individual so that there is equality of opportunity. However, this is not yet fully realised in practice because of differences in pupils’ achievement.  The local authority has provided well-measured advice and support to the school which has been helpful during the recent period of staffing change.  The curriculum has clear strengths, although plans are in place to expand and refine it further

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The leadership and management require improvement

to incorporate a more topic-based approach, including close links with Longleat. Examples of the breadth of opportunity are the Year 6 residential trip to Swanage, the school’s ‘Enterprise Week’ and the visit of Key Stage 1 to Bournemouth beach.  There are many opportunities for pupils to gain a spiritual and cultural understanding of the world around them. The development of the pupils’ moral and social awareness and understanding is well supported through the curriculum and assemblies as well as by very close links with the local church. These were observed during the inspection when the whole school attended and thoroughly enjoyed a ‘Welcome’ service.  The school has a school and eco-council, although pupils would benefit from more opportunities to take on positions of responsibility in order to play a more active role in the life of the school.  The school has made good use of the additional primary school sports funding and offers a wide

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The leadership and management require improvement

range of sporting activities, which include football, swimming, hockey, gymnastics, netball and ball skills.  The governance of the school:  New appointments have strengthened the governing body and governors have undertaken training to ensure they fully understand their roles and responsibilities. Governors have an accurate understanding of pupil achievement and how effective Sambourne is in comparison with other schools nationally. They have a growing awareness of the quality of teaching in each year group and how well the pay structure is related to teachers’ performance. Current areas which need to be strengthened are clearly understood and governors work closely with the school to develop and implement the school improvement plan. The committee structure of the governing body functions effectively and individual governors’ skills are utilised effectively in their roles as ‘ambassadors’ for different areas. The school’s finances are

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The leadership and management require improvement

carefully audited and the school’s budget is carefully managed. Governors have a clear grasp of how the pupil premium funding is allocated and how its impact upon improving levels of pupil attainment is measured. Governors are kept well informed by the headteacher and make sure the school fulfils all statutory obligations, including those related to safeguarding and the safe recruitment of staff.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 126374 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 426770

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 134 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gill Maddocks Headteacher Catherine Chalk Date of previous school inspection 22–23 November 2011 Telephone number 01985 212458 Fax number 01985 218395 Email address head@sambourne.wilts.sch.uk guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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