West Tytherley Church of England Primary School

Inspection of good school: West Tytherley Church of England Primary School West Tytherley, The Village, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 1JX

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Outcome

West Tytherley Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

West Tytherley Church of England School is a happy place. Calm and purposeful classrooms, and pupils’ helpfulness, reflect the positive atmosphere all around the school. Parents are proud that their children attend. They value how staff aim high, and work hard, to provide for pupils’ academic and emotional needs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is at the heart of its rural community. Leaders make the most of the opportunities this presents for pupils’ learning. For example, their frequent visits to a local farm bring pupils’ understanding of the world around them to life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying rarely happens at this school. This is because pupils of all ages are sensitively supported to work and play together with respect and care. They enjoy being together in mixed-age classes. Assemblies help pupils to reflect on challenging and relevant topics that are relevant to them. Governors’ description of how pupils look after each other on sports day strongly reflects the ‘family feel’ of the school and its Christian ethos.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers make sensible decisions about what pupils learn and in what order. They take the range of needs in their mixed-age classes into account and develop pupils’ learning over time. In mathematics, for instance, children in Reception learn how to recognise basic numbers and understand what they mean. Teachers then plan to build on this knowledge as pupils move through the school, learning how to manipulate more difficult numbers to solve problems. Similar planning for progression is evident in the other subjects that pupils learn. 18 September 2019

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Although teachers make appropriate plans for what pupils should learn, these do not always translate well into what happens in the classroom. As a result, while most pupils achieve well by the end of Year 6, some struggle to keep up with or do as well as others as they progress. In class, learning activities do not take enough account of what pupils already know and can do. Consequently, work can be too easy for some pupils and too difficult for others. At times, teaching is not precise enough. This includes in the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent). Here, when teaching is not clear enough about how to pronounce the sounds in question, confusion is introduced. Some pupils then need extra help to address the misconceptions which arise, slowing their learning down. However, almost all pupils can read fluently by the start of Year 3, helping them to access learning in other subjects.

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Class teachers share responsibility for pupils’ learning across the broad range of subjects that they study. Each teacher also has a specific role as leader of English, mathematics or science. Teachers bring useful subject expertise to these roles, sharing with each other what they learn from helpful training. However, they have very few opportunities to get actively involved in checking and developing teaching in the subjects they lead. It is therefore difficult for them to identify and address any weaknesses. This limits the difference that leaders can make to the quality of education in these subjects.

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Pupils try hard in lessons and most learn well across a range of subjects. Some talked to an inspector about their learning in science, describing how evaporation had enabled them to make crystals from salt. Older pupils explained how to use punctuation and grammar to convey meaning to the reader, and how to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words within a piece of text. Pupils benefit from lessons about relevant safeguarding issues, including linked to e-safety.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get useful extra help so that they can access the same learning as other pupils. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) monitors pupils’ progress, considering pupils’ emotional needs as well as their academic ones. This helps pupils to feel safe and well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

This school is a safe place. Well-rehearsed routines help adults to manage the practical challenges of the site, such as crossing a busy road to get to the lunch hall. Pupils learn how to protect themselves from harm, via useful activities in class and visits from expert groups like the NSPCC. Leaders respond to emerging concerns, providing education and support to parents as well as pupils.

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Safeguarding

Staff carry out their safeguarding duties effectively. Recruitment checks and staff training are appropriate. However, governors know that systems for checking the suitability of safeguarding arrangements are not as robust as they could be. 18 September 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Subject leaders do not know how well teachers’ planning translates into teaching and learning in each class. Ways should be sought to allow teachers planning and checking time for the subjects they lead on, so that curriculum plans are delivered well across the school. In particular, leaders should ensure that consistently accurate phonics teaching supports those pupils who most need to catch up, so that they read as fluently as other pupils in school.  While safeguarding arrangements are reliable, governors’ checks on them are not as routine and thorough as they should be. Governors need to develop their safeguarding expertise and use this improved understanding to check and support leaders’ safeguarding work.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged West Tytherley Church of England Primary School to be good on 9–10 June 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil 18 September 2019

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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. 18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111310 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 February 2016

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Information about this school

 This is a small primary school, with spaces for 15 pupils in each year group. Currently, there is a total of three classes in the school.  This is a voluntary controlled Church of England school. When the religious character of the school was last inspected in December 2016, it was judged to be outstanding.  Breakfast and after-school care are run on-site by school staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered the quality of education, focusing on reading, mathematics and science. They did this by talking to leaders, teachers and pupils. They visited classrooms to observe learning and look at pupils’ work. Three pupils read to one of the inspectors.  Safeguarding arrangements were reviewed. Inspectors checked the school’s procedures for recruiting, vetting and training staff, and for dealing with concerns about pupils’ welfare. Relevant records were also scrutinised.  Inspectors also met with school staff and with two representatives of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority on the telephone. Inspectors also spoke to pupils throughout the inspection, and to a small 18 September 2019

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number of parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors took account of survey responses from 20 parents, five members of staff and three pupils.

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Inspection team

Kathryn Moles, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Munt Ofsted Inspector 18 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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