St Mark's CofE Junior School, Salisbury

Inspection of St Mark’s C of E Junior School, Salisbury Somerset Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3BL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 26–27 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto ‘believing in better’ permeates everything that happens at St Mark’s. Pupils are proud of their caring and friendly school. ‘St Mark’s is a fantastic school,’ commented one parent. Similar views to this were shared by other parents and pupils. Pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they enjoy school and feel safe. They like all the opportunities they have through clubs, trips and responsibilities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The leaders, governors and staff are ambitious for all pupils. They have high expectations of what the pupils can achieve. Pupils rise to these expectations. The recent work to improve the curriculum for reading, writing and mathematics is well developed. As a result, pupils are achieving well in these subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the lessons the teachers plan for them. Leaders plan a curriculum that provides a broad range of subjects. Some of the plans are quite new. Pupils talk about their learning in music and computing. They talk enthusiastically about opportunities to sing at Wembley and Salisbury Cathedral.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is rare. Pupils trust that adults in school would sort it out if it did happen. Behaviour is always of a very high standard. Pupils and staff have very strong relationships. The inclusion team works very hard to support any child to succeed.

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better?

Leaders set high expectations of staff and pupils. They have built a strong sense of teamwork across the school. They have acted successfully to improve the curriculum and raise academic standards, particularly within English and mathematics. Pupils learn well across the curriculum. Their work is typically of good quality. Leaders ensure that staff are well supported and benefit from well-focused training and coaching. Staff appreciate this and the way the leaders, including governors, ensure that their workload is manageable.

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better?

Pupils understand and remember what they have learned in a range of subjects from previous years. This is because they practise the skills they have learned. They recalled learning about the Holocaust in history and could use this knowledge in their PSHE learning. However, there is more to do to ensure that they use learning from one subject in another.

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better?

Leaders have made reading a high priority. Pupils who are not ready to read well when they start the school are helped to start to read fluently. Leaders have thought carefully about how they support reading, and phonics teaching is helping pupils to improve. Leaders are planning to develop pupils’ vocabulary throughout the rest of the school.

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better?

Teachers have secure knowledge of the subjects that they teach and how to teach them. Learning in music and computing, for example, are well planned. Pupils 26–27 February 2020

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practise and revisit their skills. Teachers quickly spot pupils’ mistakes and help them to correct these. The introduction of the learning characteristics across the school has ensured teachers have a shared approach to teaching across the school.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from well- planned activities. These pupils receive a broad curriculum. The special educational needs coordinator checks that these pupils follow a curriculum that is similar to that of other pupils. Leaders and teachers work closely with external agencies to provide effective support.

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Pupils can take on a wide range of roles and responsibilities. They particularly like their involvement in running a number of clubs and activities. Leaders prepare pupils well for the next stages in learning and life beyond the school. They want them to become active citizens in their community and learn more about the world beyond it.

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Pupils are confident and courteous. They know why it is important to respect others who have different backgrounds and beliefs to themselves. Staff ensure that behaviour in lessons and around school is of a high standard. Pupils have positive attitudes, and this helps them learn well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Staff are well trained. They know the different risks that pupils face, and what signs to look out for. Staff work closely together, and with external agencies, to support the most vulnerable pupils.

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Safeguarding

Pupils told us they feel safe in school. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe both in the community and online.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all the necessary checks required for staff are carried out before they start working. Governors know they have an important role in keeping pupils safe. They check the work of leaders and regularly discuss safeguarding, acting on any concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have made significant progress in implementing their curriculum plans in a range of subjects. There are some areas where this is less well developed. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans in all subjects are consistently in place so that teachers are clear about the knowledge and skills pupils should achieve. Stronger leaders should continue to support the newer leaders to help them improve their subject areas. 26–27 February 2020

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 Not all pupils have secured the skills they need to become fluent readers. Many pupils have gaps in their knowledge of phonics. Leaders have started to address this by introducing a phonics programme for younger pupils. Leaders now need to finalise their plans to develop pupils’ vocabulary throughout the rest of the school.

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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. 26–27 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122348 Type of school Junior

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7–8 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Somerset Road Education Trust in January 2015. Since September 2019, the school and the neighbouring infant school, Wyndham Park, have formed the Primary Learning Collaboration. The two schools now share one headteacher and one local governance committee.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the interim leader responsible for pupils with SEND, the leader responsible for disadvantaged learners, members of the school inclusion team and a sample of staff. The lead inspector also took into consideration the 34 responses to the survey for staff.  I met with the leader of the Somerset Road Education Trust. I also met with nine representatives from the local governance committee and the board of trustees. 26–27 February 2020

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 We examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including leaders’ self-evaluation, academy development and improvement plans, documentation relating to the curriculum and teaching and learning. We also examined behaviour and attendance records.  The arrangements for safeguarding were checked, including checks on the single central record, staff training and safeguarding records.  We considered the 126 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. We also spoke with a number of parents at the start of the school day and by telephone.  The subjects considered as part of this inspection were reading, mathematics, computing, PE, art and music. We met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and had discussions with pupils and teachers. We also looked a range of supporting documentation for a range of other subjects.

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Inspection team

Paul Walker, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Teresa Hill Ofsted Inspector 26–27 February 2020

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