Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School Church Lane, Farrington Gurney, Bristol BS39 6TY

p.1

Outcome

Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Farrington Gurney are well looked after. They enjoy school. Pupils attend well, and they work hard in lessons. Pupils say that teachers make learning fun. Leaders and staff hold high expectations for all pupils. As a result, pupils develop their knowledge and skills well.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school. They have a trusted adult they can talk to if they are worried about something. Parents are very positive about the school. A typical view was, ‘All staff care about the children and the children care for each other.’ The school feels like a family.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers make sure that the school is a calm and orderly place. Pupils say that teachers reward positive behaviour. Pupils are attentive and inquisitive. They enjoy the opportunity to learn new things. Pupils show care and consideration for one another. They value their friendships with their classmates. Pupils say that bullying is rare and are confident that staff will help them sort out any differences that they have. Positive relationships between pupils and staff reflect the school’s respectful and considerate culture.

p.1

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

Leaders ensure that the school’s curriculum captures pupils’ interest. Leaders are clear about the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn. Pupils get lots of opportunities to practise their new learning and build on their prior knowledge. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

p.1

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

Leaders recognise that reading is crucial to pupils’ success at school. Staff are well trained and skilled in the teaching of phonics. They set high expectations for children’s term-by- term learning of letters and sounds. There are effective systems in place to support pupils who struggle with their reading. As a result, these pupils catch up quickly. Teachers 28 January 2020

p.1

2

ensure that pupils’ reading books match their abilities. Consequently, pupils read well and with enjoyment. Teachers prioritise reading high-quality fiction to pupils regularly, and pupils discuss their understanding of these books with enthusiasm. As pupils progress through the school, they become accomplished readers. Their love of reading is evident.

p.2

2

Leaders ensure that children to get off to a good start in the early years. Teachers have thought carefully about what children need to learn and in what order. Teachers focus on the development of early reading and mathematics skills from the moment children start school. Children have lots of opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills, and they do so with success.

p.2

2

Leaders have done much work to improve the school’s mathematics curriculum so that pupils learn consistently well. This work is proving increasingly successful. There is a clear plan in place that sets out what to teach and when. Teachers are also ambitious about what pupils should know and understand. Pupils enjoy mathematics and do well. However, there are occasions when teachers’ subject knowledge is not as secure as it needs to be. As a result, some pupils do not gain the depth of knowledge they could. This hinders pupils’ ability to tackle more complex tasks.

p.2

2

Leaders are passionate about developing pupils’ knowledge in religious education (RE). Pupils talk about their current learning in RE with confidence. For example, children in the early years talk knowledgably about the key parts of a church, and pupils in Year 3 demonstrate a good understanding of stories from the Old Testament, for example Exodus. However, pupils struggle to recall knowledge that they have been previously taught.

p.2

2

Teachers make sure that work is well matched to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff know pupils’ barriers to learning and what they must do to overcome them. Pupils with SEND are very well supported and they engage fully in school life.

p.2

2

Leaders have established effective systems to manage pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave very well in lessons. They display positive attitudes to their learning and try their best.

p.2

2

The school offers an extensive range of clubs and extra-curricular activities. Leaders ensure that all pupils, including the most disadvantaged, have the opportunity to take part. Pupils say that there are lots of exciting ways to develop their interests beyond the classroom.

p.2

2

The local governing body is effective in its duties. Governors are diligent in checking how well pupils are achieving and how effectively money is spent.

p.2

2

The trust has a precise understanding of the school’s performance. The trust offers clear direction and support for further improvement.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 28 January 2020

p.2

3

Leaders place the utmost importance on keeping pupils safe. They have created a caring and happy environment where pupils feel secure. Leaders ensure that all staff are well trained and are able to spot the potential signs of abuse. They make all of the necessary checks to ensure that all adults are safe to work with children.

p.3

3

Staff act appropriately, in line with their training, to report concerns to leaders. Leaders work effectively with agencies that provide pupils and their families with appropriate support.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Improvements to the mathematics curriculum are taking hold well. However, there are still inconsistencies in how the planned curriculum is being implemented. A minority of pupils do not gain the necessary knowledge and skills to tackle more complex learning. Leaders should provide further training and support so that teachers have consistently strong subject knowledge in all aspects of the mathematics curriculum.  Although the RE curriculum is well established, some pupils struggle to recall things they have learned before because teaching has not been effective enough. Leaders should ensure that the planned curriculum is taught consistently well so that it enables pupils to build on their prior knowledge and skills so that they know more and remember more.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Farrington Gurney Church of England Primary School, to be good in June 2016.

p.3

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. 28 January 2020

p.3

4

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

p.4

4

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 28 January 2020

p.4

School details

Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council

p.5

School details

Inspection number 10122371 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 94 Appropriate authority Board of trustees

p.5

School details

Website www.farringtongurneyschool.co.uk

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is significantly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school has a Christian character. It is part of the Diocese of Bath and Wells.  The school became part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership in April 2017.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher and representatives from the local governing body.  The inspector did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and religious education. This entailed discussions with subject leaders; visits to lessons; looking at examples of work; discussions with teachers; discussions with pupils; and listening to pupils read.  Inspectors took account of the 33 responses to Parent View, 12 responses to the survey for staff, and 29 responses to the pupils’ survey.  Inspectors met with staff from across the school to find out about their workloads and well-being. 28 January 2020

p.5

6

 Inspectors also scrutinised information relating to safeguarding, such as the school’s single central register and procedures for safer recruitment.

p.6

Inspection team

Neil Swait, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Emma Jelley Ofsted Inspector 28 January 2020

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

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 .

p.7

7

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

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7