Wembdon St George's Church School

Wembdon St George’s Church of England Primary School Brantwood Road, Wembdon, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 7PS

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 There is no systematic approach to tracking and checking the progress made by different groups of pupils. Consequently, leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching in the school.  Leaders and governors have been slow to implement improvements. Outcomes for some pupils have remained low for too long, particularly in mathematics.  Disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not get the support they need to make good progress.  Teachers do not match the work carefully enough to pupils’ needs and abilities. The most able pupils, in particular, do not get the challenge they need in mathematics.  Pupils who are falling behind in their learning do not always get the help they need to make progress. Leaders do not check whether intervention groups are effective.  Leaders have not held teachers to account sufficiently for pupils’ declining achievement.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Outcomes in mathematics have declined over time and pupils do not make the progress they are capable of.  Leaders do not have a reliable method to check the attendance of different groups of pupils, and absences for some are too high.  The early years provision is inadequate. The process for assessing what children know and can do when they start school is not secure.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The teaching of writing is leading to good outcomes for pupils across the school.  Pupils are confident readers and a high number of pupils meet the expected standard in the screening check.  Pupils’ courtesy and manner contribute to a harmonious community. Pupils demonstrate care for one another and respect for adults.  Safeguarding is effective. January 2017

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of 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:  establishing a consistent system for assessing and tracking pupils’ work, including in the early years, which teachers then use to plan learning and to identify pupils who need extra support  strengthening strategic leadership across the school at all levels by establishing secure systems of evaluation and ongoing assessment  monitoring and evaluating more carefully the effectiveness of interventions for pupils falling behind, and for vulnerable pupils, so that progress is made by all groups of pupils.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers:  raise expectations of what all groups of pupils can achieve and improve pupils’ progress, particularly for the most able pupils  match work more closely to pupils’ needs, particularly disadvantaged pupils, most able pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 raise standards in mathematics through more careful evaluation of learning and improving outcomes, particularly in problem-solving and in using and applying mathematics  make better use of assessment in the early years to provide activities closely matched to children’s abilities so that they make good progress from their starting points.  Reduce absence among disadvantaged pupils and build on overall improvements in attendance, so that attendance is at least as high as the national average for all pupils. An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how to improve this aspect of leadership and management. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved. January 2017

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders have been too slow to improve pupils’ outcomes. They have introduced a system for tracking pupils’ progress, but this is not used consistently by all staff. This results in gaps in assessment information in some year groups so that pupils’ progress is difficult to evaluate.  The school has not made effective use of additional pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have been more successful in their work to support pupils with social and emotional needs. These pupils are able to manage their feelings better and their behaviour in class has improved.  Since the last inspection, leaders and governors have failed to focus successfully on improving outcomes for pupils who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They have not ensured that these pupils make the progress they are capable of.  Senior leaders fail to promote equality of opportunity because not all pupils are given

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

the chance to reach their potential. This is because leaders do not deal with weaknesses in the quality of teaching swiftly enough. Nor do they hold teachers to account for pupils’ declining achievement.  The monitoring and evaluation of intervention groups for pupils who fall behind in their work, including those who are entitled to extra funding, is minimal. Leaders do not check their effectiveness with sufficient rigour and these pupils do not always get the help they need to catch up.  The curriculum does not challenge pupils enough to ensure that they learn successfully. Pupils’ good work is not celebrated around the school, so they do not know what they need to aspire to. Some groups of pupils do not make the progress they should in a range of subjects.  Leaders have not tackled poor attendance effectively. While pupils’ overall attendance is improving, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils is still below the national

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

average.  Sports funding has been used to broaden the range of activities available for pupils in school and outside of school and they take part in an increased range of clubs on offer. However, funding has not been used to support training for staff to raise their confidence and competence in teaching PE and sport.  The school provides a wide range of additional activities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school develops pupils’ understanding of different cultures and religions effectively. During the inspection pupils in key stage 1 were preparing for Chinese New Year, making food and looking at celebrations and dragon parades. Pupils are appropriately prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Governance of the school

 Governors have lacked sufficiently robust procedures for challenging school leaders on January 2017 the school’s achievement and attendance, although this aspect of their work is starting to improve.  Governors have failed to hold the senior leadership team to account for the decline in pupils’ outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and in mathematics.  Governors have a basic understanding of how pupil premium funding is spent. Governors’ minutes show that they have asked questions about the achievement of this group of pupils. However, they do not evaluate clearly enough the impact the funding is having on improving the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.  Governors have not monitored the school’s assessment procedures effectively. They have not questioned closely enough how much progress pupils have made from their starting points and how accurate assessment has been.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Pupils feel safe in school. They talk knowledgably about the importance of sensible use of social media and the filters needed online to keep them safe.  All staff training is up to date. This includes ‘Prevent’ duty training to help raise awareness of the risks of extreme or radical views, and child protection training for every member of staff. Leaders provide effective training to ensure that new staff are confident in applying the school’s procedures to keep pupils safe.  The designated safeguarding lead is effective in providing timely support for pupils and their families. School documentation shows that leaders follow up concerns swiftly and liaise effectively with other agencies to ensure that pupils are free from harm.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teachers do not have a secure understanding of how to meet pupils’ differing needs. Teaching time is not used effectively and tasks fail to challenge pupils, especially the most able. These pupils are capable of developing deeper knowledge and skills.  Teachers do not match activities in lessons well enough to support pupils’ particular needs. As a result, the achievement of groups of pupils across the school is too variable.  Senior leaders have introduced a new feedback policy, but not all teachers follow it consistently or use it effectively. Pupils say that it does not help them make their work better, and scrutiny of work backs this up.  The school’s methods of assessing pupils’ attainment and tracking their progress are not used consistently. Not all teachers use the school’s tracking system and so there are gaps in the information about pupils’ progress for some classes. In mathematics, in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

particular, it is difficult to compare progress across classes and across year groups.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics has declined since the last inspection. The most able are not challenged to make the progress of which they are capable, especially January 2017 when extension activities are less challenging than the original tasks. Similarly, where pupils have weaker problem-solving and reasoning skills, teachers and teaching assistants do not help them enough. Practical activities, such as weighing, are not planned clearly enough to ensure that pupils understand the task.  The progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils is not good enough because teaching does not develop their knowledge, skills and understanding sufficiently.  Homework is not always appropriate for the abilities of all pupils. Mathematics homework is sometimes too difficult for the less able pupils. They say they find number

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

work ‘tricky’ and have difficulties remembering strategies from previous learning. Conversely, the homework for pupils in Year 6 is not challenging enough.  The teaching of English is stronger than the teaching of mathematics. Scrutiny of work shows some examples of good-quality writing across the school. However, this work is not celebrated or shared with pupils, so they cannot see examples of good writing to know what they are aspiring to achieve.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is good.  The school provides a calm and orderly environment for pupils to focus on their learning. Pupils are respectful of each other and of adults in the school. New pupils settle quickly into school routines and the transition from the feeder pre-schools is effectively managed.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They have a strong awareness about internet safety and talk about the importance of filters when working online, as well as road safety outside the school gates.  The democratically elected school council provides pupils with opportunities to have a voice in the school. Pupils play a full part in school life and take pride in the responsibilities they undertake, such as ‘playground pals’ and sports leaders.  Some pupil premium funding is used effectively to support pupils who need emotional and social support to manage their behaviour better in the classroom. Interventions

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Personal development and welfare

help pupils to develop positive attitudes and support their emotional resilience. This could be seen in lessons during the inspection where many pupils persevered with the task in hand. Very occasionally, however, a few pupils with behaviour problems were isolated and not included in the lesson.  Pupils’ regular involvement in sporting activities keep them healthy and fit. They really enjoy circus skills. They are very appreciative of the extensive school grounds, which they enjoy using for a multitude of activities.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. January 2017  Pupils’ attitudes to their lessons are not always as positive as they should be. This is particularly so in classes where there has been a high level of staff absence or where teachers do not inspire pupils’ interest in learning because work it is not matched well enough to their needs.  Pupils say that there is sometimes poor behaviour in the playground. It helps when they tell an adult, but the behaviour is not always dealt with. They say that sometimes pupils are given ‘behaviour contracts’, but that these do not work.  Attendance rates are still low, especially for disadvantaged pupils.  Pupils are polite and courteous and engage confidently with adults. They are well behaved as they move around the school and at lunchtimes.  Work is generally well presented and it is obvious that pupils take pride in their work. The formation of letters and numbers and the layout of work is careful and precise.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Since the last inspection, outcomes in mathematics have declined steadily. Evidence from scrutiny of pupils’ mathematics books shows that this decline has not yet been halted and pupils have much ground to catch up. This means that they are not developing the skills they need to help them prepare for the next stage of their education.  Overall, outcomes are not good enough. Pupils are not making the progress of which they are capable because they are not being given the support they need. This is especially so for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Disadvantaged pupils do not do as well as others nationally in attainment at the end of key stage 1, in the national phonics screening check, and in the end of key stage 2 progress scores. Current outcomes in different year groups show little sign of these differences diminishing.  The school’s assessment information is not accurate. The new headteacher has

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

introduced a new tracking system but not all teachers choose to use it and there are many different measures of pupils’ progress across the school. Consequently, there is little accurate or robust information about pupils’ progress and attainment, including what they knew and could do when they joined the school.  Overall, pupils in Year 2 have not made sufficient progress in reading and writing since the end of the Reception Year. As a result, pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, start key stage 2 requiring significant catch-up.  Pupils’ achievement in reading and writing at the end of key stage 2 reflects a positive improvement, with proportions achieving the expected level near to and exceeding the national average. Progress in writing for disadvantaged pupils at the end of key stage 2 was in the top 10% of schools. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in mathematics at the end of key stage 2 was below the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

Progress in mathematics for disadvantaged pupils at the end of key stage 2 was in the bottom 10% of schools nationally. January 2017  In key stage 1, the proportion of pupils that met the expected standard in phonics was above the national figure. However, the picture was not the same for disadvantaged pupils, where fewer than 70% met this standard.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Outcomes at the end of the early years are in line with the national average. However, the system which the school uses to assess children’s progress is not secure. Currently, the information on children’s starting points and their progress remains inaccurate.  The school’s assessment system is not used completely in the early years. Leaders do not analyse strengths and weaknesses in all the areas of children’s learning.  Assessment of children’s learning is not aligned carefully enough to specific skills to show if they are working at age-related expectations. Parents’ involvement in the initial assessment of children’s starting points is limited. Despite this, workshops for parents covering reading, writing and mathematics encourage them to support their children’s learning and development at home.  The indoor curriculum is well planned and the early years rooms are interesting spaces in which to learn. Appropriate activities in a well-resourced environment develop

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Early years provision Inadequate

children’s knowledge and skills.  While the outdoor space has a variety of resources, learning opportunities are not sufficiently planned to engage children in a broad enough range of exciting experiences to promote their learning. Teachers do not check that this environment is making a difference to children’s learning.  The school takes children from a large number of nursery settings. A programme of transition activities help children to settle into school. Parents describe the induction process as ‘strong’ and ‘sensitive’.  The needs of vulnerable pupils are identified early and carefully thought-out programmes of support are put in place. These programmes are reviewed regularly but, as they are not part of a whole-school approach, they are not built on when children move to key stage 1.  The teaching of phonics is effective and teachers have established strong relationships with pupils. This results in a positive response from children and supports the progress

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Early years provision Inadequate

of the most able pupils.  Leaders ensure that children are safe from harm. Parents say that they are happy with the contact between home and school. This was confirmed by one parent, who said her daughter had settled well and that she felt she was ‘able to go in with any concerns’. January 2017

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.wembdon-st-georges.somerset.sch.uk

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School details

Email address sch.403@educ.somerset.gov.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28–29 June 2013

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Information about this school

 Wembdon St George’s Church of England Primary School meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The vast majority of pupils are White British and nearly all pupils speak English as their first language.  The school meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The school meets the requirements on the publication of up-to-date evaluations of pupil premium and sport premium expenditure. January 2017  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.  The headteacher took up her post in November 2015, while the deputy headteacher

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Information about this school

took up her post in March 2016.  There are two classes per year group.  Children start the school in the Reception class and transfer from 17 different feeder pre-schools. January 2017

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in a range of lessons or part-lessons, across all year groups.  Discussions took place with the governors, senior leaders and other staff with leadership roles.  Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including notes of meetings, governors’ minutes, school improvement plans, performance management records of staff and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  The inspectors looked at pupils’ work in their books to establish the current quality of pupils’ work and progress over time.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and spoke to groups of pupils to seek their views about the school. The views of other pupils were gathered during lessons, playtimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors listened to pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 read.  Inspectors spoke to groups of parents and considered 97 responses to the online Ofsted survey, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Julie Jane, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Abi Staff Ofsted Inspector January 2017 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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