Heytesbury Church of England Primary School

Heytesbury Church of England Primary School Greenlands, Heytesbury, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 0EA

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Outcome

Heytesbury 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?

Leaders aim for pupils to achieve well and encourage pupils to fly high on their ‘vision vessel’ and learn more. Leaders’ aspirations for pupils are evident in the school’s values and planned curriculum. Currently, however, the school is not putting its plans into practice consistently well in every subject. Pupils’ curriculum experiences are too variable. Pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is increasingly popular with parents and carers. Parents value the family atmosphere. A pupil explained this by saying, ‘We are a friendly school, and nobody is left out.’ Parents appreciate the school’s flexible approach to dealing with their children’s needs, particularly when their children have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils sing together joyfully in assembly. They enjoy projects that challenge them, such as building their metal sculptures. Clubs and visits extend pupils’ experience of school. Children in the early years enjoy investigating new things, for instance exploring ice and learning about freezing captured their interest.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well during the school day. Some pupils say that they might argue with each other at times, but staff sort out bullying quickly.

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better?

Leaders have planned the organisation of the curriculum in every subject from early years to Year 6. Currently, they are sharpening their plans to make them more precise about what pupils should know and when. However, leaders are not checking that the plans are being followed. For example, despite the clearly planned science programme, pupils’ work shows that they do not gain the knowledge that they 22 January 2020

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should. When spoken to, pupils could not remember scientific concepts which they should know from earlier topics. Leaders have not checked that teachers fully understand the curriculum and are following it. Leaders and teachers are not reviewing pupils’ learning effectively and have not noticed the gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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Children in early years get off to a good start in reading. They learn phonics well. Year 1 pupils are forging ahead with their phonic knowledge. Pupils practise reading frequently and become fluent quickly. Pupils in Year 2 and 3 learn and practise regularly how to explain what they have read but this is not developed across the rest of key stage 2. Older pupils do not practise their reading comprehension skills enough. Pupils in key stage 2, who need to catch up in reading, including some with SEND, have additional help. However, there are no plans for how and when this should happen. It is too sporadic to help these pupils to know more securely. Learning resources to support pupils’ reading do not match the plans closely enough.

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Teachers encourage pupils to read regularly and widely. Teachers read well-chosen books to their classes. Pupils enjoy the class stories and their personal reading.

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Pupils told us that in some lessons they wait too long for help if they do not understand what to do. At other times, they have to wait for other pupils to catch up. For example, in mathematics, staff do not notice when pupils are ready to move on or when they need extra help. Sometimes, teachers are not meeting the needs of pupils. Leaders have not given teachers sufficient help with this. For example, resources for mathematics do not match the planned order of learning.

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Pupils contribute to school life through roles such as playleaders and school councillors. They debate right and wrong in current issues, such as plastic pollution. Pupils understand the values of democracy and respect. Teachers help pupils to reflect on and respond to their Christian beliefs. However, while pupils learn about different religions, the school has no clear plans for how to develop pupils’ understanding of cultural diversity.

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The leader who oversees the support for pupils with SEND is relatively new. However, she is making sure that pupils’ targets meet their needs and checks them regularly.

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Children in the early years, and pupils in Year 1, work well together in the mixed-age Reception class. They listen attentively to adults and follow the routines which help to keep them safe. The topic of ‘Pirates’ is helping children to learn about maps.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 22 January 2020

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Staff training for safeguarding is up to date. Staff refer any concerns that pupils may be at risk of harm promptly. When necessary, leaders work with a range of agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get the help they need.

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Staff care for pupils well and parents agree that their children feel safe in school. Staff record information from parents meticulously at the start of the day. In addition, staff make sure that the collection of pupils is a safe process.

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Staff make checks and record them to show that adults who work with pupils are safe to do so.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Senior leaders have not maintained sufficient oversight of the implementation of the curriculum. There is inconsistency in how effectively the curriculum is taught across a range of subjects and in different parts of the school. Senior leaders should ensure that staff have the subject knowledge to implement the curriculum effectively. They should check that pupils know and remember what they have learned in subjects across the curriculum.  In key stage 2, older pupils are not practising reading comprehension enough. Equally, the support for pupils who need to catch up in reading is too ad hoc. Leaders should strengthen the development of pupils’ reading comprehension in key stage 2. They should also ensure that additional support for pupils’ reading is well planned and delivered.  Curriculum plans show there are clear sequences of learning. However, the resources available for reading and mathematics are not matched well with the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

plans. This hinders teachers’ sequencing of learning for pupils in the different age ranges. Leaders need to ensure that resources support effective learning and are matched to the progression of curriculum knowledge.  Teachers do not use assessment well enough to plan and meet the full range of pupils’ needs in their classes. In some cases, this limits the achievement of pupils with SEND and the most able. Leaders need to improve teachers’ use of assessment for planning and delivering the curriculum, so that pupils’ needs are met.  Plans to develop pupils’ cultural awareness are too vague. Leaders need to build a systematic approach to strengthening this aspect of pupils’ personal development. 22 January 2020

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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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Heytesbury Church of England Primary School to be good in May 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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 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. 22 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122365 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This school is part of the multi-academy trust (MAT) called Acorn Education Trust. The school joined in March 2017.  The work of the school is overseen by an executive headteacher.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with senior leaders, including the executive headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). An inspector held a meeting with representatives of the academy council and the CEO of the trust.  We reviewed a range of school documentation including that relating to safeguarding.  We visited lessons and a school assembly. An inspector heard several pupils read and discussed their reading with them. She reviewed pupils’ reading records.  We spoke to pupils across the day, including at lunchtime. We discussed pupils’ learning with them and gathered their views of the school. We took account of the 47 responses to the pupil survey. 22 January 2020

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 We met with teachers and support staff and reviewed the nine responses to the staff survey.  An inspector met with parents as they brought their children to school. We took account of the 23 responses to the Ofsted survey, Parent View.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and science. This involved talking to leaders, teachers and pupils. We looked at pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Wendy Marriott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paula Marsh Ofsted Inspector 22 January 2020

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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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