Sambourne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Strong and decisive leadership by the headteacher, the senior leaders and governors have brought about significant improvements since the last inspection.  Governors provide good support and challenge. They are fully committed to the school. Leaders know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are tenaciously pursuing further improvement.  The school leaders are ambitious for the school and for its pupils. They make sure that teaching is consistently good. This is why pupils are making rapid progress and standards are rising.  The school provides a rich and interesting curriculum which promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception class. They are being well prepared for Year 1 because teachers have high expectations of their behaviour and they make good progress.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and pupils enjoy coming to school. They are courteous, well-mannered and

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This is a good school

work well in lessons.  Pupils are looked after well and they feel safe.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The website is not up to date and not fully compliant. It does not fulfil and demonstrate the ambition of school leaders.  Teachers’ marking is inconsistent and as a result not all pupils have the benefit of learning from their mistakes.  More should be done to involve parents in the life of the school.  There are few opportunities for pupils to participate regularly in out-of-school clubs and activities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the school’s website is fully up to date and compliant so that all statutory requirements are met and the school’s vision for excellence is clear to all.  Improve the quality of teachers’ marking so that: – teachers always have high expectations of pupils’ writing, especially in their spelling and presentation – pupils always know how they can improve their work – time is allocated for pupils to act upon the teachers’ marking and next steps to improve.  Provide more opportunities for pupils to enjoy a wider range of clubs and activities outside of school hours to extend their enjoyment and skills.  Continue to work with parents so there is a shared vision of what the school is doing well and how parents can be involved in future improvements.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher has a clear vision for the school’s development. She has created an effective senior leadership team which is rapidly driving forward further improvements. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning and behaviour are good and improving.  The school has a strong capacity for increasing success. The school’s view of its work is accurate and precise. Leaders ensure that it is securely based on assessments of pupils’ achievement and other aspects of their learning and development.  The school improvement plan has appropriate priorities, which are central to the work of all leaders and governors. Leaders are effective in their roles and contribute well to school improvement. They are fully involved in monitoring and evaluating the quality of work in their areas of responsibility.  The school’s success has resulted from the effective training and support staff receive. As a result,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

although achievement and the quality of teaching are not yet outstanding overall, the school is well placed to develop further.  The school is developing and trialling new procedures to assess pupils’ progress following recent changes to the national curriculum. These procedures are already contributing to raising pupils’ achievement.  Staff morale is high and teachers, teaching assistants and support staff appreciate the rapid developments since the last inspection. However, the school’s vision of ‘aspiring to be good’ is not sufficiently challenging. It does not match the undoubted ambition to become outstanding.  Responses to Parent View are positive, but not overwhelmingly so. Leaders recognise that there is work to be done to involve parents fully in the successful development of the school. A small number of parents considered that the school did not deal decisively with some behavioural issues and that the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

response to their concerns could be better. However, a parent who requested a meeting with the inspector was glowing in her appreciation of the efforts made to support her children academically and emotionally; not only the children but the whole family, at a time of need. Her view was expressed as follows, ‘This school cannot be faulted – it has changed my life.’  The local authority provides effective support through regular reports, specific advice and support and brokering partnerships with other schools. The local authority rightly believes this to be a good and much improved school.  The school tackles any issues of discrimination and fosters good relations extremely well. It promotes equality of opportunity successfully other than in providing a wide range of clubs and activities.  Staff are held fully accountable for the progress their pupils make. They are required to fulfil stringent criteria, linked to pupils’ achievement, to reach the next salary level.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The curriculum is well planned throughout school, including in the early years. Leaders have made the development of literacy and numeracy skills central to pupils’ learning.  Pupil premium funding is used efficiently and leaders know exactly how finances are spent and whether they are making a difference to the pupils who need most support. Pupils have good opportunities to develop their skills in music, art, humanities and many other subjects. However, the school does not provide many opportunities to extend pupils’ interests and skills out of school hours. Primary school physical education and sport funding makes a positive contribution to pupils’ health and physical well- being in lessons. Specialist staff provide skilled support to teachers and pupils but the proportion of pupils of all ages and abilities participating in team games and other sporting activities is not high.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well. Poetry week

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

provided an opportunity for pupils to read and perform moving poetry such as ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae. Pupils are well-prepared for life in modern Britain through collective worship and work in many subjects. This is very evident in the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths and cultures represented in British life and the tolerance and care they show to others.  The governance of the school: – is well led and managed. It ensures that members’ skills are closely matched to the roles they undertake – has reviewed many aspects of its work since the previous inspection. Governors share the strength and determination of the headteacher and have been instrumental in helping the school to improve – has developed a thorough knowledge of progress data so that members know how well pupils are achieving. They have an accurate knowledge of the quality of teaching because they visit the school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

regularly to check for themselves. The governing body is well informed through detailed reports from the headteacher that are linked to the school improvement plan. Governors also meet regularly with the local authority officer, who provides reviews of teaching and standards – uses information about the quality of teaching well in order to support decisions as to whether teachers should be rewarded with salary increases and to review targets for the headteacher – has not ensured that all statutory requirements of reporting are fully met, because the school’s policies and the website have not been updated regularly enough – has developed the school’s values of friendship, truthfulness, creativity, courage and perseverance alongside staff, pupils and parents. These underpin much of the school’s work and the improvements being made – manage all finances including the use of the pupil premium well.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Statutory safeguarding requirements are met and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

procedures are rigorous. Staff are well-trained and vigilant in child protection.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers establish very positive relationships with their pupils and have high expectations for their success throughout the school.  They plan interesting learning activities that engage the interests of pupils. Teachers skilfully use literature to enthuse and motivate pupils. For example, in Year 6, the moving story Billy the Kid by Michael Morpurgo thrilled and excited pupils. They wrote about the joy and passion of a football match and showed empathy with the despair of war.  Teachers expect pupils to work hard and pupils live up to these high expectations. Classrooms are orderly and stimulating. As a result, all groups of pupils are keen to learn and aim to do their best.  Staff make good use of accurate assessments of pupils’ progress to set clear targets for them to achieve. Teachers use their knowledge of pupils’ achievement well to challenge all groups of learners. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection, particularly for the most-able pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching and support assistants are deployed well throughout school. They bring skilled support to pupils of all abilities and particularly those who have special educational needs. They also make a strong contribution to the progress made by pupils who do not start at the school at the usual starting points and those with emotional and behavioural issues.  Teachers and support staff ensure that pupils have time to reflect on their learning during the lesson and appropriately try things out for themselves. They do not intervene early, and give pupils time to see whether they can fulfil the task without help.  Teachers question pupils effectively to build on their understanding and recall of facts. For example, skilful questioning ensured that Year 3 and 4 pupils used accurate mathematical knowledge and vocabulary in their work with shape. They knowledgably recounted the numbers of faces and vertices and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

related these to a description of shapes hidden in a bag.  Teachers help pupils to develop positive skills for contributing to their own learning. In particular, they increasingly promote their ability to be critical about their own work and resilient in tackling difficult ideas. This was seen to good effect in Year 5 when pupils wrote an account of Philippe Petit’s walk on a high wire between the Twin Towers in New York. Pupils read their own work and willingly accepted others’ ideas of how to improve their work.  A love of reading is strongly promoted throughout the curriculum, such as in pupils’ research in history and religious education.  Writing skills are generally taught well. Teachers expect pupils to write for a wide range of purposes and accurately apply their good knowledge of grammar and punctuation skills. However, pupils do not make the best progress they could in writing because teachers’ marking and feedback are not fully consistent.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

For example, comments are sometimes not precise enough to help pupils deepen their understanding further. Expectations that pupils will act upon the suggestions made are inconsistent and pupils do not always transfer their developing good handwriting skills into their everyday written work.  The teaching of mathematics is good throughout school. Teachers make good use of resources and with deeply probing questioning they ensure that pupils’ reasoning skills are developed well and regularly applied in mathematical problem-solving calculations. This has improved well since the previous inspection.  The school has well-established procedures to assess and support pupils’ learning needs rigorously. Staff ensure that pupils are prepared well for their future learning through thoroughly developing their literacy and numeracy skills and applying them in a range of subjects.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils work well with others. They work hard and take pride in their work and their appearance. They increasingly assess their own work and do so accurately. They take pride in fulfilling their roles as school councillors, buddies and sports ambassadors. Older pupils take care of their younger school mates attentively, eat with them and play with them in the playground.  The school uses primary sport funding for outdoor activities at lunchtimes and after school. However, at a meeting with pupils they informed the inspector that they felt there were too few opportunities for sports and after-school clubs. As a result, the activities provided after school offer only a limited contribution to pupils’ good behaviour and their personal and physical development.  Pupils have a clear awareness of how to stay safe inside and outside school. Pupils talk knowledgably

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Personal development and welfare

about the risks of using the internet, and receive specific guidance about how to keep them safe when using computers. Pupils and parents spoke very highly of ‘bubble time’, a method by which all pupils can speak in a confidential way to an adult about anything which concerns them.  Pupils rightly feel that there are few incidents of bullying and know what they would do should any occur. They are tolerant of the views and beliefs of others, and staff and the governing body work well to promote this.  Personal and social education, including activities undertaken with the fire and police services, teaches pupils how to avoid the dangers of the world around them as well as fire safety and how to tackle other concerns.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Teachers have high expectations for good behaviour. Consequently, classrooms are calm and orderly. Very occasionally, a very small number of pupils are not as engaged as they could be. Most of these pupils have special educational or emotional needs. They are supported very well and staff do a very good job of ensuring that the learning of others in the class is not distracted.  The vast majority of pupils enjoy their school and are eager to talk about their experiences. Pupils are polite and friendly towards each other and their teachers.  The school keeps detailed records of the few incidents of poor behaviour and responds to them in a robust and well-considered manner. There have been a high proportion of exclusions in the past as the school has been determined to eliminate poor behaviour. These have now reduced considerably.  The school has a well-deserved reputation locally for supporting pupils who have emotional and social

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Behaviour

difficulties, and in helping them to improve the management of their own behaviour.  Attendance is broadly average and improving. There are rigorous procedures to improve attendance, including effective use of pupil premium funding, and to support pupils who start the school at times other than in the early years.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ achievement is good and their progress compares positively with national expectations. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 in 2014 and 2015 was broadly in line with national averages.  Improvements in teaching are leading to pupils making better progress throughout the school. Pupils in all year groups and of all abilities achieve well overall in reading, writing and mathematics.  The headteacher and senior staff have tackled the dips in achievement which were evident at the last inspection and promote high expectations. For example, the most-able pupils now make the progress they are capable of and reach the standards of attainment expected for their ability by the time they leave the school.  The good quality of teaching and learning means that achievement is good. Pupils are provided with regular opportunities to read in school and most read well. The results in the Year 1 national checks on

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Outcomes for pupils are good

phonic skills (letters and the sounds they make) were a little below average last year. However, with huge variations in ability each year, this was expected and progress from pupils’ time in Reception was good.  Most pupils, including the less-able, use their skills effectively to identify unfamiliar words and read with fluency. Pupils take a keen interest in books. By Year 6, pupils describe in depth the strengths of different authors and how they make them feel. They have good comprehension skills and the ability to understand the underlying meaning in the text. Pupils of all abilities read with expression, fluency and enthusiasm.  Pupils’ writing skills improve well. Pupils write for a wide range of reasons in different subjects. They increasingly spell accurately and make good use of punctuation. They have a good knowledge of grammar which they use to good effect to make their writing lively and engaging.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 However, pupils do not consistently make better progress because teachers’ marking does not always identify the next steps to improve. When teachers’ marking is helpful, pupils in some classes do not always act upon it effectively to improve their work.  Pupils achieve well in mathematics. They are becoming more skilled in their mathematical understanding as the teachers provide useful resources and effective questioning to help them master the subject. They build on their knowledge of number facts, such as number bonds and multiplication tables, to use these skills successfully in written calculations and to solve real-life problems.  The impact of interventions is leading to improvements in the achievement of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. The gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of all other pupils closed rapidly in 2014. However, last year it widened again. The proportion of disadvantaged

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Outcomes for pupils are good

pupils in Year 6 with special educational needs was high and this very significant fact makes a fair comparison with non-disadvantaged pupils in the school and nationally unrealistic. The school’s own information showing pupils’ progress and other inspection evidence show that disadvantaged pupils achieve well from their different starting points.  Pupils who join the school at times other than the early years make good progress. Their learning needs are speedily assessed when they start and steps are taken to address gaps in their education.  The parents who responded to Parent View or were spoken to during the inspection considered that their children were making good progress and achieving well throughout the school.

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Early years provision is good

 Children make good progress from their starting points so that the vast majority achieve the skills and abilities they need to make a good start in Year 1. As children extend their knowledge, skills and understanding, the teacher tracks their progress carefully through assessments and learning diaries and organises learning activities to match their abilities.  Children make especially good progress in their personal and social development so that their behaviour is good for their age. They thrive in an atmosphere where they feel safe and respond positively to the high expectations of adults. As a result, children are able to listen to adults and one another, follow instructions, share and take turns with very little fuss.  The indoor and outdoor learning areas are well organised and stimulating so that children are eager and enthusiastic and want to learn. For example, the way that the areas are organised to provide a variety of

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Early years provision is good

learning about autumn provided numerous opportunities for children to speak and to learn about nature’s beauty.  Children make good progress in their early reading and writing skills. They have a rapidly expanding knowledge of letters and sounds. This is because adults provide many opportunities for them to learn to read and write in fun and innovative ways.  The ‘Gruffalo’ story provided a rich stimulus for language development and for children’s personal and social development. The skills of using letters and sounds are taught well from the early years onwards. Teachers encourage pupils to listen carefully and articulate sounds accurately.  The most-able children are challenged well so that they are exceeding the skills typically found for their age. Disadvantaged children in the early years also achieve well and make good gains in their early language and communication skills. When needed, the school makes effective links with educational and

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Early years provision is good

health agencies, to provide early support to children with special educational needs.  Relationships are very strong. Staff engage positively and constructively with parents from the start of children’s learning to prepare children for school and to settle them in to their new surroundings.  The early years leader has a good understanding of the needs of the children. She and the teaching assistant form a strong teaching team. As a result, the quality of teaching in the early years is consistently strong.  Children’s behaviour and safety are good. Parents say their children feel very safe and are cared for well. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well and they are curious about the world around them.

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School details

Unique reference number 126374 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 10002410

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School details

This inspection 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 137 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ian Lavery Headteacher Cathy Chalk Telephone number 01985 212458 Website www.sambourne.wilts.sch.uk Email address admin@sambourne.wilts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 September 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. The vast majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is broadly average but the proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan – a plan of care for children and young people who have more complex needs – is higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is extra funding to support the education of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority. A small proportion of pupils also receive additional funding from the armed forces premium.  A significant number of pupils join the school after the early years.  The school meets current government floor standards.  A section 48 inspection of religious education is due to take place shortly after this inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning throughout and conducted many short visits and observations in every class, often with the headteacher.  The inspector listened to pupils read, talked to them about their learning and reviewed their work.  Meetings were held with different groups of people involved with the school. These included pupils, parents, members of the governing body, the headteacher, senior and other leaders, and other members of teaching staff and a representative of the local authority.  The 24 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were examined. The Ofsted questionnaires completed by school staff were also examined.  The inspector reviewed the school’s website.  The inspector checked a range of documents. These included information on pupils’ achievements, the school’s data on pupils’ current progress, documents relating to planning for improvement, procedures

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Information about this inspection

for checking the quality of teaching, documents relating to safeguarding and records relating to behaviour and attendance.  The inspector considered the school’s use of the primary physical education and sport funding and the pupil premium .

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Inspection team

Steve Bywater, Lead Inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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