Shrewton CofE Primary School

Shrewton Church of England Primary School Tanners Lane, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 4JT

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is an inadequate school

 As a result of historic weak leadership, outcomes for pupils are inadequate. Not enough pupils are making good progress in reading, writing or mathematics. This is especially so for disadvantaged pupils and the most able.  Governors have failed to hold senior leaders to account for declining standards. They have failed to create a safe and stable environment for pupils.  Teaching is inadequate. Teachers’ expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving are too low.  Pupils do not receive effective feedback from teachers. As a result, pupils do not know what they need to do in order to improve their learning.  Leaders, including governors, have failed to provide the support that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities require and are entitled to.  Assessment information is inaccurate. Teachers and leaders fail to use the information well enough to help plan appropriate work or to

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This is an inadequate school

monitor pupils’ progress.  Teaching assistants are not used effectively to support pupils’ learning.  There are no robust systems in place to manage the performance of staff. Previous leaders failed to provide training and support for teachers to improve their practice.  Subject leaders do not have the experience or training to accurately check the progress pupils make. The good practice of the most effective teachers is not shared with other colleagues.  Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. However, they typically become bored and restless during lessons because teaching does not excite or inspire them.  Provision in the early years is inadequate. Poor teaching and low expectations by teachers of what children can do result in children not being well prepared for Year 1.  Parents have valid concerns about the lack of progress their children are making and the lack of stability within the teaching team.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher is clear about what needs to be done to improve the school and has begun to implement plans for improvement.  The new headteacher is steadily rebuilding the confidence of staff, pupils and parents.

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 rapidly securing an effective senior leadership structure at the school  ensuring robust systems and procedures are securely in place to safeguard pupils  strengthening governance so governors carry out their roles and responsibilities to rapidly improve the quality of education pupils receive  setting clear priorities for improvement which are frequently checked and evaluated for impact by leaders, including governors  implementing a robust, structured programme of training and support to equip subject leaders with the skills needed to be highly effective.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Rapidly improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

have access to high-quality training to develop their practice accurately assess what pupils can and cannot do to inform planning so that learning is sufficiently challenging for all pupils, especially the most able question pupils effectively in order to assess, probe and deepen their learning provide pupils with high-quality feedback to enable them to fully understand how they can improve their learning learn from best practice within the school and in other schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve pupils’ outcomes by ensuring that:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 teachers raise their expectations of what pupils are able to achieve, including in the early years  the most able pupils are given learning that inspires, excites and challenges them to think more deeply about their learning  disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs or disabilities receive effective support to meet their individual needs  teaching assistants are fully utilised to increase the effectiveness of their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 Since the previous inspection, the school has suffered from weak leadership. As a result, its overall effectiveness is now inadequate. Leaders failed to tackle the areas identified as needing improvement at the previous inspection. Consequently, pupils do not make enough progress.  The school’s evaluation of its effectiveness is too generous. Although leaders and governors have an understanding of the school’s improvement priorities, they have not taken rapid enough action to tackle them. The development plan does not focus precisely enough on the key areas that need to swiftly improve. The plan does not clearly state how and when leaders, including governors, will monitor the progress being made to check that actions taken are improving pupils’ achievement.  The headteacher demonstrates a strong determination and resilience to turn the school around and has the support of staff, governors and parents. She is working hard to improve teaching and raise pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

achievement. However, there is limited impact from this work at this stage.  Leadership roles and responsibilities are not clear or understood fully by staff, resulting in a lack of accountability. The headteacher has not been in post long enough to have made a significant, positive difference to school improvement. Consequently, the decline in pupils’ achievement has not yet been halted.  Over time, leaders have failed to promote equality of opportunity for all pupils and staff. Too many pupils did not receive the support they were entitled to, especially pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils. Staff have not received regular and up-to-date training. Consequently, they were not always aware of the changes made in education, for example to assessment in the early years.  The use of pupil premium funding is not effective; it has too little impact on disadvantaged pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

Monitoring of this funding is not sufficiently rigorous to ensure that these pupils make enough progress. As a result, pupils entitled to this additional funding achieve much lower standards than their peers in the school and other pupils nationally. Gaps are widening at key stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics.  The headteacher has taken quick action to tackle this situation. A new leader of special educational needs is in post to ensure that those pupils who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the support they require to make the progress of which they are capable. She has recently started supporting staff, helping them ensure learning activities meet the needs of these pupils. It is too early yet to have an impact.  Systems for checking the performance of staff were not securely in place. The headteacher has recently implemented checks to monitor the performance of staff and ensure they have access to training and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

support to improve their practice.  Subject leaders are new to post. They do not currently possess the necessary experience or skills to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning effectively in the subjects they lead.  The most able pupils do not make enough progress in reading, writing or mathematics. This is as a result of weak teaching that does not sufficiently challenge or motivate them.  Until the arrival of the headteacher, the school had not engaged in implementing the changes to the primary curriculum. A new curriculum has recently been introduced to ensure that pupils develop their knowledge and skills well across a range of subjects. This is early in its implementation and is not yet embedded across the school. Consequently, the curriculum is not currently impacting well enough on pupils’ achievement in reading, writing or mathematics.  The school provides pupils with a range of enrichment activities which are well attended. Pupils talk with

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

enthusiasm about the clubs they attend, which include cross-country running, karate and drawing.  Sports funding is used effectively to provide a broader range of opportunities for pupils. It is also used to increase the skills and confidence of teachers in teaching specific sports, for example cricket and athletics.  The school makes a positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s motto, ‘respect for self, for others and for learning’ is evident throughout the school. Pupils who spoke with the inspector demonstrated their respect for different cultures and religions. They are interested in learning about other people’s values and customs. This helps foster good relationships and tackles discrimination, as well as preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. For example, they spoke fervently about the outcomes of the EU referendum and the potential impact this will have on them as

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

they grow up.  The support provided by the local authority has not been effective in ensuring the school improves. It is not helping leaders to ensure that pupils are taught well and make good progress. Local authority officers recognise the urgent need to support the headteacher in rapidly improving this school and to accelerate pupils’ progress.  The school should not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.  Most parents speak positively about the school, especially under the new leadership, and appreciate the care and guidance their children receive. However, some raise concerns regarding the lack of progress their children are making and the high turnover of teaching staff.  The governance of the school Governance is weak. Governors are in agreement that, despite challenging previous leaders, they have been too slow to act on the significant weaknesses of the school and to take the necessary actions

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

swiftly enough. Governors failed to hold previous leaders to account for teachers’ performance and the decline in pupils’ outcomes. Governors failed to challenge leaders on the use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Although plans for these groups were in place, governors did not check to see if these funds were used effectively to help pupils close the gaps in their learning.  The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. While all the necessary checks are made prior to staff starting in post and they meet statutory requirements, governors do not check frequently enough that policies and risk assessments in place are effective in minimising risk to pupils. Not all staff have received training in child protection and safeguarding. Consequently, not all support staff are confident of the actions to take if they have any concerns about the safety of a pupil.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 The quality of teaching over time has been inadequate. The leadership of teaching, learning and assessment has been ineffective and has not led to the necessary improvements in teaching and in raising pupils’ outcomes. As a result, pupils do not make enough progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are too low. Teachers’ planning does not take into account what pupils can and cannot do. All too often, books indicate that work is either too easy or does not provide sufficient support for those who need it. The most able pupils often complete work that does not make them think deeply and extend their knowledge, or it is work they have done before. This is stopping them from making the progress of which they are capable.  Teachers are not consistently applying the school’s marking and feedback policy. Consequently, pupils do not understand what they need to do in order to improve their learning further, which limits their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

progress.  Questioning of pupils is not effective in probing their understanding and making them think more deeply about their learning. This contributes to too many pupils making inadequate progress.  Until recently, teachers have not been effectively supported or trained to improve their practice; they lack the skills to effectively teach and assess with accuracy. The headteacher has plans in place to tackle this and to ensure that teachers and teaching assistants are well trained and able to deliver high-quality learning for pupils.  The teaching, learning and assessment of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) has been inadequate. The new headteacher is now providing the necessary training and guidance for teachers to enable them to teach and assess phonics effectively.  While some teaching assistants do provide some helpful support to pupils, not all of them have received the necessary training and have the required skills to carry out their role effectively.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 Some effective teaching is evident in the school. This teaching is carefully planned and inspires pupils, allowing them to make strong progress. However, this good practice is not shared well enough within the school to improve the overall quality of teaching and learning.  Some parents have expressed concerns about the quality of teaching and the progress their children are making via Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, text messages and in conversation with the inspector. The headteacher is aware of these concerns and has plans to tackle them to ensure parents have confidence in the quality of teaching and learning their children receive.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate. For example, risk assessments are not securely in place or robustly monitored. While the headteacher has worked hard to ensure safeguarding policies are in place and high-quality safeguarding training is now provided, these are not yet fully embedded across the school to minimise risk to pupils. Not all support staff have received recent child protection training and not all are confident in the actions to take if a pupil makes an allegation of harm.  Pupils are caring towards each other. Older pupils look after younger ones well. For example, at playtimes older pupils act as play leaders and provide games and activities, such as aerobics, for the younger pupils to join in with. The buddy bench is used by pupils when they feel lonely. This was exemplified during the inspection. The welfare of the inspector was checked up on by a pupil as they saw her sitting on the

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Personal development and welfare

buddy bench at the end of a playtime.  The school’s work to promote respect and tolerance is rooted in the Christian ethos and is threaded well throughout aspects of the school. For example, pupils are accepting of each other’s differences and aware that each of them is ‘unique’.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Pupils do not consistently demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. When work set by the teacher does not challenge and excite the pupils, they typically become restless and sometimes misbehave. This is especially so for the most able pupils, who become bored and disengaged with their learning.  Pupils are polite, courteous and well mannered. They play well together at playtimes and lunchtimes. Pupils report that bullying is rare and when it does happen it is quickly dealt with by staff.  Pupils have a clear understanding of what acceptable behaviour is and how all pupils should be treated equally. They are aware of the consequences if they do not follow the golden rules which are clearly displayed around the school. As a result, they describe how behaviour has improved.  Pupils enjoy school. They attend school regularly and this is reflected in their attendance levels, which are

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Since the previous inspection, pupils’ outcomes have steadily declined, especially in key stage 1. Evidence from scrutiny of current Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ work in English and mathematics shows that this decline has not yet been halted. This means pupils are not developing the necessary knowledge and skills to help them prepare for the next stage of their education.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not make enough progress. This is because, until very recently, they have not been given the support they require and to which they are entitled.  The most able pupils are not achieving well enough. In 2015, not enough pupils attained the highest levels in Year 2 or Year 6 in reading, writing or mathematics. This is because teaching is not challenging and supporting pupils so that they make the best possible progress.  Published data indicates that, in 2015, the small number of disadvantaged pupils did not make enough

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

progress in reading, writing or mathematics and achieved well below their peers nationally and in school. Current information shows that this group of pupils are still not making good enough progress.  Current standards show improvements in the number of children achieving a good level of development in the early years and the number of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. However, achievement in Year 2 and Year 6 does not show any improvement from the 2015 published data. In 2015, Year 2 pupils achieved significantly below other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics and achievement had declined from the previous year. Attainment in Year 6 was below other pupils nationally and has been declining since 2014 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Progress information across other year groups shows that these pupils are not making the progress from

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

their starting points of which they are capable.  The headteacher and staff demonstrate a determination to tackle this historic underperformance of pupils and plans have been put in place to tackle weaknesses. However, it is too early to evaluate the effectiveness of these plans.

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Early years provision is inadequate

 Over time, the early years has lacked effective leadership and strategic planning. As a result, children in the Reception class do not have access to a broad range of experiences to sufficiently develop their skills, knowledge and understanding. This is reflected in the published data of 2015 where the number of children achieving a good level of development was significantly below the national average.  ‘Learning journals’, recording each child’s experiences, show that work has not been tailored to develop individual children’s knowledge and skills. Too often, the same work is repeated. This results in children not making enough progress. Consequently, they are not sufficiently well prepared as they move into Year 1.  There are no reliable assessments of children’s starting points when they join the school. Current assessment information is unreliable. It is not based on secure observations of children’s learning.

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Early years provision is inadequate

Consequently, teachers do not have an accurate understanding of what children can and cannot do.  While staff have received appropriate training in keeping children safe, leaders do not monitor systems well enough to ensure the risk to children is never compromised.  Behaviour in the Reception class requires improvement. When children are not provided with stimulating activities which excite them, they become bored and fidgety. Consequently, they do not demonstrate good learning behaviours.  Staff have strong relationships with children. This means that children enjoy coming to school and form positive relationships with adults and other children in the class.  Parents are not provided with enough opportunity to be involved in their children’s learning. Therefore, links between home and school are not sufficiently strong.  Most parents are happy with how their children have settled in school and the care they receive.

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Early years provision is inadequate

However, some raised concerns regarding the progress their children are making, especially in their reading.

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School details

Unique reference number 126357 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 10011135

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 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 123 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Smith Headteacher Lynn Taylor Telephone number 01980 620 362 Website www.shrewtonschool.co.uk Email address admin@shrewton.wilts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 17–18 May 2011

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Information about this school

 Shrewton Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The headteacher has been in post since January 2016.  The vast majority of pupils are White British and most pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is low. This is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.  Pupils in the early years are taught in one Reception class and attend full-time.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club that is managed by the governing body.  The school met the current government floor standards in 2015, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.  The school meets the requirements on the publication of information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed lessons or part lessons, all of which were joint observations with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, staff, governors and two representatives from the local authority. The inspector took into consideration the responses in questionnaires completed by 12 members of staff.  A wide range of documentation was scrutinised during the inspection including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, the school development plan and data relating to pupils’ attainment and progress. The inspector also checked the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding arrangements and attendance information.  The inspector talked with a group of pupils to seek their views about the school. The views of other pupils were gathered during lessons, playtimes and lunchtimes. The inspector listened to pupils read.  The 19 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were taken into account. The inspector

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Information about this inspection

considered comments provided by text message and also spoke to parents informally at the start of the day.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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