St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery, Purton

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Naomi Clarke St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Purton College Road Purton Swindon Wiltshire SN5 4AR

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Short inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Purton

Following my visit to the school on 16 November 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2013.

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Short inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Purton

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Purton

You work closely with the deputy headteacher. Together, you have made many improvements to teaching and learning. You have made sure that teaching staff understand the nature of the changing cohort of pupils. You have added capacity to the leadership of the school. The new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is well qualified. She has a secure grasp of the emotional and cognitive needs of the pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. The leader in charge of the funding for disadvantaged pupils evaluates the impact of her planning carefully. These factors have sustained improvements.

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Short inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Purton

The pupil population has changed since the last inspection. There has been extensive housebuilding locally, resulting in an increase in the pupil population. The local community recognises the strengths of your leadership. Ninety seven per cent of parents said on Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, that they would recommend the school. There are 30 children who travel to school by taxi and bus from outlying areas within the catchment. You run a very inclusive school. There are more pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Many have highly complex histories. Their emotional needs are being met well. Recently, you have employed a leader in charge of pupils’ welfare. Her work has been invaluable.

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Short inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Purton

Some pupils arrive at the school for just a few years because they are children of workers at a neighbouring Japanese factory. You use a translator to help the pupils learn and integrate effectively into school life.

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Short inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Purton

Since the last inspection, you have maintained an effective tracking system. You check pupils’ progress regularly. If pupils are slipping behind, they are supported well. You make sure that teaching assistants support pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics as necessary. This is helping current pupils to achieve their potential.

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Short inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Purton

Governors and the leadership team have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records are of a high quality and detailed. Staff receive training on how to keep pupils safe from abuse, sexual exploitation and the influences of radicalisation and extremism. You are the designated safeguarding lead and you work closely with the two deputy leads. This is important with the increasing numbers of pupils who have complex needs. Collectively, you make sure that pupils are safe and secure in school. You work determinedly, yet sensitively, with pupils, parents and external agencies to monitor and support the most vulnerable pupils. Safeguarding arrangements are secure and part of the school’s culture.

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Inspection findings

 We discussed the progress of pupils in key stages 1 and 2. Pupils with low ability and the most able pupils had not achieved well in the end-of-key-stage tests. Despite some rapid progress in the outcomes for mathematics at the end of key stage 2 last year, outcomes still remained below the national average. You and the early years leader have focused on children when they enter school. Leaders have worked on the transition of pupils from pre-schools to Reception. Children in Reception are making good progress. The percentage of children achieving a good level of development has been above the national average for the past two years. Teachers in Years 1 and 2 are following pupils’ progress more carefully. In particular, they are tracking the children who were exceeding the early learning goals. Teachers are making sure that the most able continue to achieve well at key stage 1.  There were exceptional circumstances for the pupils with low ability who did not

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Inspection findings

achieve well in the tests at the end of key stage 1. We discussed each pupil and what had happened. Their progress in Year 3 is closely monitored. Some pupils are making rapid progress as a result of the extra support they are receiving. Some pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are making better and steady progress because of the understanding of their needs. This is more realistic progress for these pupils and bodes well for the future.  You have high expectations for teachers and these are very clear. You have emphasised that teachers must be secure in their knowledge of the current curriculum. You have invested in training to support teachers. You expect teachers to plan learning according to pupils’ different abilities. You look for challenge in activities. You are aware that there is still some work to do on this for a few teachers. You and the wider leadership team check teachers’ planning

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Inspection findings

and pupils’ work relentlessly. You have ensured that teachers follow the teaching and learning policy. They provide problems for pupils to solve in the next steps in their learning. However, sometimes, teachers are not checking pupils’ answers or next steps well enough. This lack of reflection and revision is hampering the progress of a few pupils.  There is more work on problem-solving and reasoning in mathematics taking place recently. The two leaders of mathematics are working on university research projects to improve teaching in this subject. These focus on bespoke programmes for learners. This is working well for disadvantaged pupils. There are plans to share this learning with other groups and build on its success. Teachers are using more precise language in mathematics. This helps pupils to articulate their learning. Pupils learn to use the correct mathematical vocabulary. As a result, pupils are more fluent in their written explanations. You want this

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Inspection findings

precision in language to continue in mathematics. You expect to see it in reading and writing too.  The number of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is approximately 20% of each year group. There is an increase in the number of disadvantaged pupils as well. We looked at the success of their support. The SENCo has been in post for two years. She is very experienced, especially in helping pupils who have emotional and mental health issues. She works effectively with other agencies. The leader in charge of disadvantaged pupils plans meticulously. She evaluates actions and is not afraid to change course as necessary. This is important as each pupil is unique. Lunchtime clubs provide a settled place for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils to go. Around 50% of these pupils attend. They build on their skills in these sessions. As a result, their learning is progressing well.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that teachers:

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Next steps for the school

 use language and teaching methodologies accurately  check on the precision of pupils’ responses consistently  have the highest expectations of what pupils can achieve, especially the most able and the most able disadvantaged pupils  use policies and processes systematically so that progress is more rapid.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Bristol, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Wiltshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, the deputy headteacher, two leaders of mathematics, the English leader, the early years leader, the SENCo, the pastoral leader and the leader in charge of disadvantaged pupils. I met with a group of governors. I had a telephone conversation with the adviser for the local authority. I spoke informally with pupils. I visited lessons for all classes in the school. I looked at the quality of work in pupils’ exercise books and considered documentary evidence relating to the impact of the school’s work, including safeguarding. I took into account 62 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, and 35 comments written by parents, plus the 39 responses from pupils and 20 responses from staff to their Ofsted online surveys.

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